heterochromatin
noun
het·ero·chro·ma·tin
ˌhe-tə-rō-ˈkrō-mə-tən 
: densely staining chromatin that appears as nodules in or along chromosomes and contains relatively few genes
Examples of heterochromatin in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But this process inherently misses some portions of the whole genome, particularly sections of certain genes in heterochromatin regions (typically found in the centromeres and telomeres, where DNA is highly repetitive).
—
Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 1 Apr. 2022
At the time, scientists couldn’t sequence heterochromatin, so despite the celebratory hubbub and champagne toasts, almost 10% of the genome went unsequenced.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Sep. 2021
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback
about these examples.
Manasee Wagh, Popular Mechanics, 1 Apr. 2022
At the time, scientists couldn’t sequence heterochromatin, so despite the celebratory hubbub and champagne toasts, almost 10% of the genome went unsequenced.
—Quanta Magazine, 8 Sep. 2021
Dictionary Entries Near heterochromatin
Cite this Entry
“Heterochromatin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heterochromatin. Accessed 15 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
heterochromatin
noun
het·ero·chro·ma·tin
-ˈkrō-mət-ən
: densely staining chromatin that appears as nodules in or along chromosomes and contains relatively few genes
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share