mosaicism

[ moh-zey-uh-siz-uhm ]

noun

, Biology.

1. a condition in which an organism or part is composed of two or more genetically distinct tissues owing to experimental manipulation or to faulty distribution of genetic material during mitosis.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mosaicism¹

First recorded in 1925–30; mosaic + -ism

Example Sentences

While it’s still too early to say how mosaic gene mutations in the brain might influence schizophrenia, there’s a growing list of brain conditions where mosaicism really does seem to have a role.

From MIT Technology Review

The woman’s doctors were unsure whether her mosaicism was a factor in her psychiatric disorder.

From MIT Technology Review

There’s a growing list of brain conditions where mosaicism really does seem to have a role.

From MIT Technology Review

They devised a plan to look for different mechanisms for mosaicism using the same set of brain samples.

From MIT Technology Review

Not too long after the UCSD team published its paper about mosaicism in the brain, Gage had struck upon another phenomenon that could explain how genetic diversity arises in the nervous system.

From MIT Technology Review