Gene
The term “gene” was first used by Wilhelm Johannsen, who used his knowledge of botany to study the genetic characteristics of plants. Gene is a particular sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA that is located generally on a chromosome. Gene is the functional unit of heredity directing the transmission and expression of one or more characteristics in every type of living organism. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is used to make genes but in the case of certain viruses, ribonucleic acid (RNA) is used to make genes. A gene is made up of four distinct nucleotide bases, which are also the fundamental units of DNA. Nucleotides contain four different types of bases: 1. Adenine (A), 2. Guanine (G), 3. Cytosine (C), and 4. Thymine (T). The genotype of an organism is determined by its genes. The main function of a gene is to regulate the expression of traits. Among the traits determined by genes are skin pigmentation, hair color, and eye color.
Difference Between Gene And Allele
The two basic and essential terms in genetics are genes and alleles. A gene is a piece of the DNA structure, and it determines the genetic characteristics of every person. Alleles determine a single trait and several variations of the same gene.