gene mutation

noun

plural gene mutations

: a permanent alteration (as by point mutation or frameshift mutation) in the nucleotide sequence of a gene

Researchers have identified a gene mutation that's believed to predispose people to malignant melanoma, the deadliest and most aggressive type of skin cancer.

—Health News

compare point mutation

Examples of gene mutation in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Specifically, sobriety, exercise, and her recent preventative mastectomy after a test revealed a gene mutation called RAD51D, which raised her chances for breast cancer from 20 to 40 percent. —Marissa R. Moss, Rolling Stone, 21 June 2024

Related article How a gene test could be the first step toward precision medicine for obesity Women with the gene mutation weighed an extra 4.6 kilograms (10.14 pounds), and men with the variant weighed an extra 2.4 kilograms (5.29 pounds), according to the study. —Madeline Holcombe, CNN, 20 June 2024

Stansted Airport denied that Swift’s jet is there. 5 A rare gene mutation helps people resist Alzheimer’s disease. —Jamie Ross, Washington Post, 20 June 2024

Uterine fibroids can be hereditary, with gene mutations MED12, HMGA1, and HMGA2 causing many cases. —Rachel Murphy, Verywell Health, 21 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1904, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

gene mutation

noun

: mutation due to a chemical change in a gene

Medical Definition

gene mutation

noun

: a permanent alteration (as a point mutation or frameshift mutation) in the nucleotide sequence of a gene

… there is a 50 percent chance each offspring will inherit the gene mutation and may develop the disease.

—Fred Cicetti

In early August the team published a study in Nature that chronicled how a single gene mutation in a laboratory strain of Escherichia coli could create a bacterium resistant to triclosan …

—Gary Stix