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cis·tron

(sĭs′trŏn′)

A section of DNA that contains the genetic code for a single polypeptide and functions as a hereditary unit.

[From cis-trans test, a genetic test (cis- + trans-) + -on.]

cis·tron′ic adj.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

cistron

(ˈsɪstrən)

(Genetics) genetics the section of a chromosome that encodes a single polypeptide chain

[C20: from cis-trans; see cis-trans test]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

cis•tron

(ˈsɪs trɒn)

n.

a segment of DNA that codes for the formation of a specific protein; a structural gene.

[1955–60; cis- + tr (ans)- + -on¹]

cis•tron′ic, adj.

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Noun

cistron - (genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity; "genes were formerly called factors"

gene, factor

dominant gene - gene that produces the same phenotype in the organism whether or not its allele identical; "the dominant gene for brown eyes"

allele, allelomorph - (genetics) either of a pair (or series) of alternative forms of a gene that can occupy the same locus on a particular chromosome and that control the same character; "some alleles are dominant over others"

genetic marker - a specific gene that produces a recognizable trait and can be used in family or population studies

homeotic gene - one the genes that are involved in embryologic development

lethal gene - any gene that has an effect that causes the death of the organism at any stage of life

linkage group, linked genes - any pair of genes that tend to be transmitted together; "the genes of Drosophila fall into four linkage groups"

modifier gene, modifier - a gene that modifies the effect produced by another gene

mutant gene - a gene that has changed so that the normal transmission and expression of a trait is affected

nonallele - genes that are not competitors at the same locus

operator gene - a gene that activates the production of messenger RNA by adjacent structural genes

oncogene, transforming gene - a gene that disposes normal cells to change into cancerous tumor cells

polygene - a gene that by itself has little effect on the phenotype but which can act together with others to produce observable variations

proto-oncogene - a normal gene that has the potential to become an oncogene

recessive gene - gene that produces its characteristic phenotype only when its allele is identical; "the recessive gene for blue eyes"

regulator gene, regulatory gene - a gene that produces a repressor substance that inhibits an operator gene

repressor gene - gene that prevents a nonallele from being transcribed

structural gene - a gene that controls the production of a specific protein or peptide

suppresser gene, suppressor gene, suppresser, suppressor - a gene that suppresses the phenotypic expression of another gene (especially of a mutant gene)

transgene - an exogenous gene introduced into the genome of another organism

X-linked gene - a gene located on an X chromosome

holandric gene, Y-linked gene - a gene located on a Y chromosome

chromosome - a threadlike strand of DNA in the cell nucleus that carries the genes in a linear order; "humans have 22 chromosome pairs plus two sex chromosomes"

genetic science, genetics - the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms

molecular biology - the branch of biology that studies the structure and activity of macromolecules essential to life (and especially with their genetic role)

sequence - serial arrangement in which things follow in logical order or a recurrent pattern; "the sequence of names was alphabetical"; "he invented a technique to determine the sequence of base pairs in DNA"

deoxyribonucleic acid, desoxyribonucleic acid, DNA - (biochemistry) a long linear polymer found in the nucleus of a cell and formed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix; associated with the transmission of genetic information; "DNA is the king of molecules"

Translations

cistron

References in periodicals archive ?

Regulatory elements in 5-UTRs may influence the translation of downstream cistrons (Barrett et al.

Genome-wide association study to identify genes related to renal mercury concentrations in mice

In eukaryotic cells, rRNA cistrons made up of 18S, 5.8S and 28S rRNA genes are transcribed by RNA polymerase I.

Characterization and identification of different strains of Trichoderma species using bio-molecular techniques

This pattern indicates that these chromosomal regions as poor cytotaxonomic markers, differing from other Atlantic fishes in which the identification of ribosomal cistrons has proved to be efficient to distinguish apparently homogeneous karyotypes, as in Lutjanidae [40], Serranidae [41], and Gerreidae [42] or even population units [43, 44].

Sequential steps of chromosomal differentiation in Atlantic surgeonfishes: evolutionary inferences

He posed the question of whether a gene was a "functional unit carrying the information necessary for the synthesis of a macromolecule" or "the unit of recombination." Textbooks of my college era discussed genes in terms of proposed models of cistrons, recons, and mutons; were missing the start codon in charts of the genetic code; and listed "nonsense" for what we know as stop codons (Keeton, 1967).