lethal gene

noun

Genetics.

1. a gene that under certain conditions causes the death of an organism.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lethal gene¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

A recent study from the Powell lab at Yale University has since confirmed that some of the offspring of the GM mosquitoes didn’t succumb to the self-limiting lethal gene and survived to adulthood.

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Oxitec’s latest strain of GM mosquitoes is designed to spread the lethal gene more effectively.

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Despite the enormous potential for such efforts to yield drug targets, a challenge remains: how can researchers systematically search for synthetically lethal gene relationships?

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When I ask him the probability of his three sons inheriting the same lethal gene, there's a pause and he chokes up.

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Identification of essential genes and synthetic lethal gene combinations in Escherichia coli K-12.

Read more on Nature