single nucleotide polymorphism

noun

: snp
Although all humans share 99.9 percent of their genetic material, single-letter differences in our DNA sequences—known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs ("snips")—ensure that each individual is unique.Alison McCook, Scientific American
In DNA dialect, if the nucleotide letter T appears instead of C, or G where usually there's A, the gene is said to contain a single nucleotide polymorphism.Jeff Wheelwright, Discover

Dictionary Entries Near single nucleotide polymorphism

Cite this Entry

“Single nucleotide polymorphism.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/single%20nucleotide%20polymorphism. Accessed 7 Nov. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!