cistron

English

Etymology

Coined by Seymour Benzer.

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun

cistron (plural cistrons)

1. The unit of hereditary material (e.g. DNA) that encodes one protein; sometimes used interchangeably with the word gene.

   Synonym: (sometimes) gene

   • 1976, Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, Kindle edition, OUP Oxford, published 2016, page 41:

     The butterfly mimicry cluster is a good example. As the cistrons leave one body and enter the next, as they board sperm or egg for the journey into the next generation, they are likely to find that the little vessel contains their close neighbours of the previous voyage, old shipmates with whom they sailed on the long odyssey from the bodies of distant ancestors.

Derived terms

• bicistron
• cistronic
• polycistron

Anagrams

• Citrons, citrons, cornist, cortins