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Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) created the Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms to help people without scientific backgrounds understand the terms and concepts used in genetic research. Simply click on the term of interest to open a page with a wealth of information, including the term's pronunciation, audio information, images and additional links to related terms. Students, teachers and parents will find the glossary an easy-to-use, always available learning source on genetics.

For more information go to the Guide to the Talking Glossary.

Enter a word or phrase:


a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

A

  • adenine
  • adenosine deaminase deficiency (ADA)
  • adenovirus
  • Alagille syndrome
  • allele
  • amino acids
  • animal model
  • antibody
  • antisense
  • apoptosis
  • ataxia-telangiectasia
  • Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS)
  • autosomal dominant
  • autosome
  • B

  • bacteria
  • bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)
  • base pair
  • birth defect
  • bone marrow transplantation
  • BRCA1/BRCA2
  • C

  • cancer
  • candidate gene
  • carcinoma
  • carrier
  • cDNA library
  • cell
  • centimorgan
  • centromere
  • chromosome
  • cloning
  • codon
  • congenital
  • contig
  • craniosynostosis
  • cystic fibrosis
  • cytogenetic map
  • cytosine
  • D

  • deletion
  • deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
  • diabetes mellitus
  • diploid
  • DNA replication
  • DNA sequencing
  • dominant
  • double helix
  • duplication
  • E

  • electrophoresis
  • Ellis - van Creveld syndrome
  • enzyme
  • exon
  • F

  • familial Mediterranean fever
  • fibroblasts
  • fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)
  • Fragile X syndrome
  • G

  • gene
  • gene amplification
  • gene expression
  • gene mapping
  • gene pool
  • gene therapy
  • gene transfer
  • genetic code (ATGC)
  • genetic counseling
  • genetic map
  • genetic marker
  • genetic screening
  • genome
  • genotype
  • germ line
  • guanine
  • H

  • haploid
  • haploinsufficiency
  • hematopoietic stem cell
  • hemophilia
  • heterozygous
  • highly conserved sequence
  • Hirschsprung's disease
  • holoprosencephaly
  • homologous recombination
  • homozygous
  • human artificial chromosome (HAC)
  • Human Genome Project
  • human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
  • Huntington's disease
  • hybridization
  • I

  • immunotherapy
  • in situ hybridization
  • inherited
  • insertion
  • intellectual property rights
  • intron
  • K

  • karyotype
  • knockout
  • L

  • leukemia
  • library
  • linkage
  • locus
  • LOD score
  • lymphocyte
  • M

  • malformation
  • mapping
  • marker
  • melanoma
  • Mendel, Johann (Gregor)
  • Mendelian inheritance
  • messenger RNA (mRNA)
  • metaphase
  • microarray technology
  • microsatellite
  • mitochondrial DNA
  • monosomy
  • mouse model
  • multiple endocrine neoplasia, type 1 (MEN1)
  • mutation
  • N

  • neurofibromatosis
  • Niemann-Pick disease, type C (NPC)
  • non-coding DNA
  • non-directiveness
  • nonsense mutation
  • Northern blot
  • nucleotide
  • nucleus
  • O

  • oligo
  • oncogene
  • oncovirus
  • P

  • p53
  • Parkinson's disease
  • patent
  • pedigree
  • peptide
  • phenotype
  • physical map
  • polydactyly
  • polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
  • polymorphism
  • positional cloning
  • primary immunodeficiency
  • primer
  • probe
  • promoter
  • pronucleus
  • prostate cancer
  • protease
  • protein
  • pseudogene
  • R

  • recessive
  • recombinant DNA
  • repressor
  • restriction enzymes
  • restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)
  • retrovirus
  • ribonucleic acid (RNA)
  • ribosome
  • risk communication
  • S

  • sequence-tagged site (STS)
  • severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID)
  • sex chromosome
  • sex-linked
  • shotgun sequencing
  • sickle cell disease
  • single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)
  • somatic cells
  • Southern blot
  • spectral karyotype (SKY)
  • substitution
  • suicide gene
  • syndrome
  • T

  • technology transfer
  • thymine
  • transgenic
  • translocation
  • trisomy
  • tumor suppressor gene
  • U

  • uracil
  • V

  • vector
  • W

  • Western blot
  • Wolfram syndrome
  • Y

  • yeast artificial chromosome (YAC)





  • See Also:

    Spanish Talking Glossary

    Fact Sheets

    All About the Human Genome Project



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