Glossary · Sinh học
Gene
The basic unit of inheritance. Genes pass from parents to offspring and contain the information that specifies physical and biological traits.
A gene is a stretch of information within the DNA sequence. Most genes code for a specific protein or a segment of one, and those proteins have differing functions within the body; NHGRI describes proteins as critical to most of the work done by cells.
NHGRI puts the human count at approximately 20,000 protein-coding genes.
Genes are passed from parents to offspring and contain the information needed to specify physical and biological traits — which is why the gene is called the basic unit of inheritance.