genegene /dʒiːn/ ●●○ S3 W3 noun [countable] 
Word Origin
human genes the genes that regulate cell divisionCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa dominant gene (=a gene that has its effect when there is only one copy of it)· The disease occurs when a child inherits a single dominant gene from a parent with the disease.a recessive gene (=a gene that has its effect only when there are two copies of it)· The gene for blue eyes is recessive.a defective/faulty gene (=a gene that does not work properly)· The disease is caused by a defective gene.a human gene· The actual number of human genes is still in dispute.verbshave a gene· Identical twins have the same genes.carry a gene (=have a gene that causes a medical condition which you can pass on to your children)· Some women carry a gene which makes them more likely to develop breast cancer.pass on a gene (=pass a gene to your children)· All animals try to maximize their chances of passing on their genes to the next generation.inherit a gene (=get a gene from your parents)· Children who inherit the defective gene seem normal at birth apart from a deformity of the toe.identify/discover a gene (=find a particular gene which is responsible for something)· Scientists have identified a gene which seems to protect Chinese people from some types of cancer.gene + NOUNthe gene pool (=all the genes in a particular species)· It is hoped that these new wolves will mate with the native population and increase the wolves' gene pool.gene therapy (=using genes to treat diseases)· Scientists have successfully treated the disease using gene therapy.
Word OriginWORD ORIGINgene
ExamplesOrigin:
1900-2000 German gen, from Greek genos ‘birth, kind’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
word sets- Some women may carry a gene that increases the risk of breast cancer.
- Both snail genes and fluke genes stand to gain from the snail's bodily survival, all other things being equal.
- But because genes are also selected in the environment provided by other genes in different species, arms races develop.
- Furthermore, a rearrangement of the IRF-1 gene was identified in one additional patient with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.
- I could print out pictures of the insects' bodies, but I had lost their genes.
- Information is transferred by genes in much the same way as it is by words.
- One possibility is that there are master genes whose products control the activity of many others.
- Research has indicated that narcoleptics have a set of genes that are triggered by unknown factors to cause narcolepsy.
- So, what determines whether these genes are transcribed?
WORD SETS► Biology
Collocationsaerobic, adjectiveafterbirth, nounalgae, nounalimentary canal, nounamber, nounameba, nounamino acid, nounamoeba, nounanaconda, nounanaerobic, adjectiveandrogynous, adjectiveantibody, nounantigen, nounantitoxin, nounappendage, nounarm, nounarmour, nounasexual, adjectiveassimilation, nounatrophy, verbaviary, nounbacteria, nounbacteriology, nounbarnacle, nounbile, nounbinocular vision, nounbio-, prefixbiochemistry, nounbiodegradable, adjectivebiodiversity, nounbiohazard, nounbiological, adjectivebiological clock, nounbiology, nounbiomass, nounbiome, nounbiosphere, nounblind, nounbrain, nounbreathe, verbbreed, verbbreed, nounbreeding, nounbristle, nounbulb, nouncapsule, nouncarbohydrate, nouncarbon dioxide, nouncarnivore, nouncell, nouncellular, adjectivecellulose, nouncentral nervous system, nouncervical, adjectivecholesterol, nounchromosome, nouncirculation, nouncirculatory, adjectiveclass, nounclone, nouncold-blooded, adjectiveconceive, verbconch, nounconnective tissue, nouncopulate, verbcoral reef, nouncornea, nouncoronary, adjectivecorpuscle, nouncortex, nouncortisone, nouncowrie, nouncrab, nouncrawfish, nouncrayfish, nouncreature, nouncross, verbcrossbreed, nounculture, nouncytoplasm, noundecay, verbdecay, noundecompose, verbdefecate, verbdenizen, noundextrose, noundiaphragm, noundigest, verbdigestion, noundigestive, adjectiveDNA, noundorsal, adjectivedry rot, nounduct, noundwarf, noundwarf, adjectiveecological, adjectiveecology, nounecosystem, nounegg, nounejaculate, verbembryo, nounembryonic, adjectiveenzyme, nounepidermis, nounevolution, nounevolutionary, adjectiveexcrement, nounexcrescence, nounexcrete, verbexcretion, nounexhale, verbexoskeleton, nounextinction, nounfaeces, nounfamily, nounfang, nounfat, nounfatty acid, nounfauna, nounfeces, nounfeed, verbfemale, adjectivefemale, nounferment, verbferment, nounfertile, adjectivefertility, nounfertilize, verbfission, nounflank, nounflatulence, nounflesh, nounfleshy, adjectiveflightless, adjectiveflora, nounfoetal, adjectivefoetus, nounfoliage, nounfossil, nounfreak, nounfreshwater, adjectivefructose, noungamete, nounganglion, noungene, noungene pool, noungenera, genetic, adjectivegenetic code, noungenetic engineering, noungenetic fingerprinting, noungenetics, noungenome, noungenus, noungestation, noungland, nounglandular, adjectiveglucose, noungluten, noungonad, noungrass snake, noungrow, verbgrowth, nounhabitat, nounhaemoglobin, nounhearing, nounheart, nounhemisphere, nounherbivore, nounhereditary, adjectiveheredity, nounhermaphrodite, nounhibernate, verbhistamine, nounhoming, adjectivehormone, nounhost, nounimpregnate, verbimpulse, nounincubate, verbindigenous, adjectiveinfected, adjectiveinfertile, adjectiveinfest, verbingest, verbinhale, verbinseminate, verbinsensate, adjectiveinsulin, nounintegument, nounintercourse, nouninterferon, nounintestine, nouninvertebrate, nouninvoluntary, adjectiveiris, nounjaw, nounjelly, nounkidney, nounkrill, nounlactate, verblactation, nounlactic acid, nounleech, nounleg, nounlesser, adjectivelichen, nounlife, nounlife cycle, nounlife form, nounligament, nounlimb, nounlimpet, nounlipid, nounliver, nounliving fossil, nounlocomotion, nounlymph, nounlymph node, nounmale, adjectivemale, nounmammal, nounmandible, nounmate, nounmate, verbmembrane, nounmetabolism, nounmetabolize, verbmetamorphosis, nounmicrobe, nounmicrobiology, nounmicroorganism, nounmicroscopic, adjectivemigrate, verbmigratory, adjectivemiscarriage, nounmolar, nounmorphology, nounmotor, adjectivemould, nounmouth, nounmucous membrane, nounmucus, nounmulticellular, adjectivemuscle, nounmuscular, adjectivemutant, nounmutate, verbmutation, nounnatural history, nounnatural selection, nounnature, nounneck, nounnectar, nounnerve, nounnervous, adjectivenervous system, nounneural, adjectiveneuro-, prefixneurology, nounnode, nounnose, nounnostril, nounnucleic acid, nounnucleus, nounnutrient, nounnutriment, nounoesophagus, nounoestrogen, nounolfactory, adjectiveoptic, adjectiveorgan, nounorganic, adjectiveorganic chemistry, nounorganism, nounorifice, nounossify, verbosteo-, prefixoutgrowth, nounova, ovary, nounoverwinter, verboviduct, nounoviparous, adjectiveovulate, verbovum, nounparasite, nounpathogen, nounpedigree, nounpelvic, adjectivepelvis, nounpenile, adjectivepenis, nounpepsin, nounperiod, nounperspiration, nounperspire, verbphotosynthesis, nounphylum, nounpigment, nounpigmentation, nounplankton, nounplasma, nounpollinate, verbpostnatal, adjectivepregnancy, nounpregnant, adjectivepremature, adjectiveprenatal, adjectiveproduct, nounproliferation, nounpropagate, verbprotein, nounprotoplasm, nounprotozoan, nounpuberty, nounpulmonary, adjectivepulp, nounpulsation, nounputrefy, verbputrid, adjectivered blood cell, nounregurgitate, verbrenal, adjectivereproduce, verbreproduction, nounreproductive, adjectiverespiration, nounrespiratory, adjectiverespire, verbretina, nounroot, nounrot, verbrot, nounruff, nounsac, nounsaliva, nounsalivary gland, nounsalivate, verbsaltwater, adjectivescale, nounscallop, nounscaly, adjectivesebaceous, adjectivesecrete, verbsecretion, nounsemen, nounsense organ, nounsensory, adjectiveserum, nounsex, nounsex, verbsexless, adjectivesexual intercourse, nounsheath, nounshell, nounsibling, nounskeletal, adjectiveskeleton, nounskin, nounskull, nounspasm, nounspasmodic, adjectivespecies, nounspecimen, nounsperm, nounspiderweb, nounspinal cord, nounspine, nounspineless, adjectivestarch, nounstem cell, nounstimulate, verbstimulus, nounstrain, nounsubject, nounsubspecies, nounsucker, nounsucrose, nounsweat, verbsweat, nounsweat gland, nounsymbiosis, nounsystemic, adjectivetail, nountaxonomy, nounteeth, testosterone, nountest-tube baby, nountissue, nountrachea, nountube, noununicellular, adjectiveurethra, nounuric, adjectiveurinate, verburine, nounvariety, nounvector, nounvein, nounvenom, nounvenomous, adjectiveventricle, nounvertebra, nounvertebrate, nounvivisection, nounwarm-blooded, adjectivewean, verbwildlife, nounwindpipe, nounyolk, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYadjectives► a dominant gene
a part of a cell in a living thing that controls what it looks like, how it grows, and how it develops. People get their genes from their parents. → genetic: (=a gene that has its effect when there is only one copy of it)· The disease occurs when a child inherits a single dominant gene from a parent with the disease.
► a recessive gene (=a gene that has its effect only when there are two copies of it)· The gene for blue eyes is recessive.
► a defective/faulty gene (=a gene that does not work properly)· The disease is caused by a defective gene.
► a human gene· The actual number of human genes is still in dispute.
verbs► have a gene· Identical twins have the same genes.
► carry a gene (=have a gene that causes a medical condition which you can pass on to your children)· Some women carry a gene which makes them more likely to develop breast cancer.
► pass on a gene (=pass a gene to your children)· All animals try to maximize their chances of passing on their genes to the next generation.
► inherit a gene (=get a gene from your parents)· Children who inherit the defective gene seem normal at birth apart from a deformity of the toe.
► identify/discover a gene (=find a particular gene which is responsible for something)· Scientists have identified a gene which seems to protect Chinese people from some types of cancer.
gene + NOUN► the gene pool (=all the genes in a particular species)· It is hoped that these new wolves will mate with the native population and increase the wolves' gene pool.
► gene therapy (=using genes to treat diseases)· Scientists have successfully treated the disease using gene therapy.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE► different· All contain the same genes, although different genes will be turned on in the different specialist cells.· They may also be less sedentary, and certainly have different genes.· When various models or different genes are used, statistical measurements can provide strong support for contradictory phylogenies.· So why on earth are we stuffed full of so many different versions of genes?· Cells in different plants are more likely to have different genes.· It is no different from genes for height.· At the end of 400 generations, the E. coli bacteria had bred new strains of itself with slightly different genes.
► human· The S. macroura motif shows 65% identity and 82% similarity with the human gene.· Further work is under way to map the human gene in detail but preliminary results support the localisation to human chromosome 11.· By 1980 about 3100 human genes had been distinguished, mostly by biochemical techniques.· The most advanced technology involves the use of viruses which have been engineered for safety and to accept human genes.· But there might be some mistakes doing it this way, he says, because human genes are longer.
► mutant· If that spore contained the mutant gene, all the cells of the new plant will contain the mutant gene.· Consider the case of a new, supercharged mutant gene that appears in a bacterium.· If that spore contained the mutant gene, all the cells of the new plant will contain the mutant gene.· Once isolated, the mutant gene will be the second gene known to increase the risk for the brain disorder.· In heterozygous females, pre-B cells whose active X chromosome expresses the mutant gene would not terminally differentiate and proliferate.· Probably, the presence of a mutant gene just brings an individual one step closer to the possibility of cancer.· We are considering making a strain of transgenic sheep containing the mutant gene that causes cystic fibrosis in humans.· As well as transformation of established 3T3 cells, p53 will also cooperate with mutant ras genes to transform primary rat cells.
► other· The molecules that control transcription are themselves proteins which are coded for by other genes.· The pathway will clearly be modulated by other genes that regulate apoptosis.· But whether this is peculiar to muscle, or whether other master genes will be found, remains to be discovered.· Bodies evolve integrated and coherent purposefulness because genes are selected in the environment provided by other genes within the same species.· But because genes are also selected in the environment provided by other genes in different species, arms races develop.· This is because they would stand to gain by a different set of future outcomes from the other genes in the body.· The products of regulatory genes are only involved in regulating other genes and their products do not serve any other function.· Here we are talking about single genes cheating against the other genes with which they share a body.
► recessive· Rothenbuhler thought that hygienic behaviour might be controlled by two recessive genes.· There is a recessive black gene in the breed as well.· The build-up of recessive genes increases the incidence of genetically determined diseases, such as sickle-cell anaemia in humans.
► selfish· The long reach of the gene An uneasy tension disturbs the heart of the selfish gene theory.· They were times of fresh resolve, novel encroachments of the selfish gene.
► single· We are not looking for a single gene which is wholly responsible for a disorder or a behavioural predisposition.· They show that the crucial shift to self-fertilization in the cultivated plant involves but a single gene.· But there may be single genes which in a very small number of people have a significant effect.· If we leap far enough, all the genes will be copies of one single gene in our ancestral population.· They each carry a single spider silk gene in their genetic make-up of some 70,000 goat genes.· It seems certain that all eight have been copied, ultimately from a single ancestral globin gene.· Men are defined by their ownership of a single gene.· Here we are talking about single genes cheating against the other genes with which they share a body.
► specific· There is another experiment which demonstrates the presence of factors in cells that turn on specific genes.· They are now working to identify the specific gene involved.· I would like to identify some more specific genes, and understand how they work on the brain and on behaviour.· Strictly speaking, evolution is simply a change in the frequency with which specific genes occur in a population.· Now, however, it is possible to identify specific gene components that contain the relevant hereditary information.· Anyway, in the course of these preliminary studies I succeeded in identifying certain exceedingly small but specific bodies in genes.· I was able to identify specific gene factors which carry personality traits.
NOUN► expression· We propose that in Raji cells the accumulation of a repressor is prevented, thus allowing gene expression.· An account of the development of behaviour within an individual would have to mention a series of environmental influences on gene expression.· There is indeed direct evidence that mechanical stress can generate intracellular signals that regulate gene expression.· From studies on living organisms it is impossible to learn details of the molecular events in IL-6 induced gene expression.· Similar effects on limb outgrowth and Hoxd gene expression were observed in forelimb cultures.
► pool· The gene pool of the resulting subgroups would be too small to ensure the viability of the population.· Because the gene pool for a growing breed is slight, munchkins are generally bred with other cats.· Even the gene pools in the South are drying up.· People have to be executed, removed from the gene pool.· The net result was a widening gene pool and an altogether hardier national herd.· In the long term, the loss of genetic diversity will reduce the gene pool available for agricultural crops.· A plague of uniformity is sweeping the world, numbing the taste buds and reducing the gene pool.· The genes themselves don't evolve, they merely survive or fail to survive in the gene pool.
► product· They in turn act as enzymes, machines that manufacture other compounds in the cells, the gene products.· The synthesis of complex structures such as viruses often requires the synthesis and interaction of several gene products.· This may be due to the complete absence of functional Ea and/or non-polymorphism of the Ea gene product.· Antibodies raised against the gene product identify a polypeptide with a relative molecular mass of about 400K in all tissues examined.
► suppressor· Tumour suppressor genes seem to be very important in colorectal carcinogenesis.· Perhaps the most exciting of future possibilities for genetic intervention in cancer is the direct manipulation of oncogenes or tumour suppressor genes.· Various mutations in both oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes have been implicated heavily in the development of cancer.· Research into colorectal tumours has directly or indirectly contributed to the discovery of three new tumour suppressor genes.· Scientists believe the suppressor gene can be inactivated by tobacco, viruses, pollution or diet.· Since then much evidence has accrued that p53 is a tumour suppressor gene involved in a wide range of human malignancies.· Enough premalignant cells are present in the bulk of stool to permit the analysis of tumour suppressor gene mutations by this technique.· Consequently, unlike other tumour suppressor genes, only one allele need be mutated to produce a phenotypic effect.
► therapy· Because the disorder is specific to B cells, it may be a candidate for somatic gene therapy.· Gelsinger died from the treatment in September, in what is believed to be the first death caused directly by gene therapy.· Is it amenable to psychotherapy or gene therapy?· Perhaps gene therapy could prevent the mutation of the prion gene that causes hereditary brain disease.· Male speaker One of the concerns of gene therapy is that other tissue will be affected.· Even if all goes well, it is unlikely that gene therapy treatment will be available for at least 10 years.· If successful, gene therapy could eventually offer effective treatment for as many as 4,000 hereditary illnesses, including cystic fibrosis.· Clearly, until these questions are answered, gene therapy will be reserved for life threatening diseases.
VERB► carry· When her daughter has children, they will also carry the gene and develop the illness.· Bodies are not primarily machines for carrying genes.· But her son's children, although they might carry the gene, won't get asthma.· For patients with a family history of colon cancer, one in three carried the mutated gene.· In Britain one in ten black people carry the sickle cell gene.· But doctors have not yet formulated their own message for the healthy women who carry these mutated genes.· And each chromosome carries some fifty thousand genes, which are the structures that carry inheritance information from parent to offspring.· While it strikes men twice as often, women can also carry the defective gene and pass it along to their children.
► cause· Natural selection favoured those ancestral caddis genes that caused their possessors to build effective houses.· The genes that cause the elaborate ornament or long tail to appear are subject to random mutation.· Research on the family has enabled scientists to identify a defective gene responsible for causing the disease.· We account for this by saying that their genes cause them to have such beliefs.· We are considering making a strain of transgenic sheep containing the mutant gene that causes cystic fibrosis in humans.· We must in consistency admit that our genes cause us to have our beliefs, too.· If they can identify positively the gene which is causing the trouble, then they may be able to correct it.· An increasingly hot field in the industry was genomics, the search for genes that cause a disease or other condition.
► contain· All contain the same genes, although different genes will be turned on in the different specialist cells.· If that spore contained the mutant gene, all the cells of the new plant will contain the mutant gene.· Then, with luck, all the cells of the animal that develops from that zygote will contain the new gene.· Wild plants, in the Amazon, may contain the required genes.· Within the nucleus are the chromosomes of the cell, which contain the genes.· We are considering making a strain of transgenic sheep containing the mutant gene that causes cystic fibrosis in humans.· The other contained a pea gene for the production of a poison called lectin.· This shows that it contains all the genes, not just some of them.
► express· In heterozygous females, pre-B cells whose active X chromosome expresses the mutant gene would not terminally differentiate and proliferate.· This variation in signal intensity may reflect the differences in the cell density of tissues that express the gene.· It seems possible that this material originates from rare mucosal endocrine cells expressing the gastrin gene.
► find· Other workers have found ras gene mutations in between 39% and 47% of colorectal cancers.· Research in the last fifteen years has found that our genes may also direct a good deal of how we act.· They've found a gene which they think could be passed on by parents to their children.· The finding of the latest gene is reported in the January issue of the journal Nature Genetics.· The finding that this gene appears to play a role across ethnic groups is very exciting.· Mind is not to be found in molecules any more than the works of Shakespeare were to be found in his genes.
► identify· These studies can be extended, using genetic and molecular screens, to identify genes required for the construction of a synapse.· They are now working to identify the specific gene involved.· The immediate task was to identify the gene or genes involved in oocyte maturation.· Research that will identify a funny gene or chromosome or whatever.· I would like to identify some more specific genes, and understand how they work on the brain and on behaviour.· And last year, scientists at Rockefeller University identified the gene that appears to be successful in treating obesity in animals.· Research on the family has enabled scientists to identify a defective gene responsible for causing the disease.· Now, however, it is possible to identify specific gene components that contain the relevant hereditary information.
► inherit· A person or animal inherits half its genes from each parent.· Those who inherit one gene have an increased chance of acquiring cancers later in life.· He has inherited the Nordern genes.· The first is biological - what we inherit through our genes.· First is the possibility of inheriting a major gene for liability, but not developing the disease.
► insert· Which is what inspired Smith and his colleagues to try to insert the gene for HbsAg into vaccinia.· They inserted an extra gene and ended up with a virus that wiped out all the test animals within nine days.· So Potrykus used genetic manipulation to insert genes from the daffodil that encode the biological machinery for production of beta carotene.
► involve· This study exemplifies the combined use of human and mouse genetics to dissect human genetic diseases involving multiple genes and complex phenotypes.· Because the technique involves work with genes it must be approved by an independent ethical committee.· They show that the crucial shift to self-fertilization in the cultivated plant involves but a single gene.
► pass· In time, the system settles down and householders and sneaks pass on genes with equal efficiency.· They should really only say that animals happen to pass on their genes, some more than others.· It may live longer, but it will be less successful at reproducing and may fail to pass on its genes.· It would then have passed twice as many genes on to the next generation as its rivals had.· A beetle can pass only one gene to each of its offspring.· We were built as gene machines, created to pass on our genes.· Positives could pass on a negative gene.· The big fear was that they would pass on potentially-harmful genes to other E. coli already in the gut.
► show· But its live counterpart does not glow, even though tests show the jellyfish genes are present.· The glow showed that the gene was active.· The results of numerous studies from around the world clearly show that both genes and the environment influence drinking behavior.
human genes the genes that regulate cell divisionCOLLOCATIONSadjectivesa dominant gene (=a gene that has its effect when there is only one copy of it)· The disease occurs when a child inherits a single dominant gene from a parent with the disease.a recessive gene (=a gene that has its effect only when there are two copies of it)· The gene for blue eyes is recessive.a defective/faulty gene (=a gene that does not work properly)· The disease is caused by a defective gene.a human gene· The actual number of human genes is still in dispute.verbshave a gene· Identical twins have the same genes.carry a gene (=have a gene that causes a medical condition which you can pass on to your children)· Some women carry a gene which makes them more likely to develop breast cancer.pass on a gene (=pass a gene to your children)· All animals try to maximize their chances of passing on their genes to the next generation.inherit a gene (=get a gene from your parents)· Children who inherit the defective gene seem normal at birth apart from a deformity of the toe.identify/discover a gene (=find a particular gene which is responsible for something)· Scientists have identified a gene which seems to protect Chinese people from some types of cancer.gene + NOUNthe gene pool (=all the genes in a particular species)· It is hoped that these new wolves will mate with the native population and increase the wolves' gene pool.gene therapy (=using genes to treat diseases)· Scientists have successfully treated the disease using gene therapy.