lethal gene

lethal gene — noun

1. A gene that can stop an organism from developing normally, or cause the organism

1.名詞C1
釋義

A gene that can stop an organism from developing normally, or cause the organism or its reproductive cells to die, when present under specific genetic conditions — for example, when an individual inherits two copies of the gene.

例句

A strain of mice carrying the lethal gene in homozygous form died before reaching adulthood.

homozygous form triggers the lethal effect

Dr. Lakshmi saw that the lethal gene prevented zebrafish embryos from forming a functional heart.

prevents normal development as a mechanism

同義詞
  • lethal allele

    technically more precise; 'allele' refers to one variant of a gene at a specific chromosome position

  • fatal gene

    less common in technical writing; more general in tone

反義詞
  • essential gene

    a gene whose absence or inactivation causes death — the opposite type of genetic necessity

文法句型

carry / inherit / identify a lethal gene

lethal gene + singular verb

用法筆記

A lethal gene does not always cause death — the effect depends on the genetic context, such as whether the organism has one copy (heterozygous) or two copies (homozygous) of the gene. The term is most commonly used in formal genetics research and textbooks.

常見錯誤

❌The lethal gene killed every mouse in the litter.
✅The lethal gene killed the mice that had inherited two copies of it.
💡A lethal gene only causes death under specific conditions, not in every individual that carries it.