what is the difference between an allele and a gene?
What is the difference between an allele and a gene?
Answer:
Genes and alleles are terminologies used in genetics to describe different aspects of heredity and genetic inheritance.
Gene:
- Definition: A gene is a specific sequence of DNA that determines a particular characteristic or trait. Genes are located on chromosomes and serve as the basic unit of heredity.
- Function: Genes provide the instructions for synthesizing proteins, which play a vital role in various functions of the body.
- Variation: Organisms have thousands of genes, each responsible for a specific trait such as eye color, height, or blood type.
Allele:
- Definition: An allele is a specific form of a gene that occupies a particular position on a chromosome.
- Function: Alleles can exist in different forms and lead to variations in traits. For example, different alleles of the gene determining eye color can result in blue eyes, brown eyes, or green eyes.
- Inheritance: Individuals inherit two alleles for each gene, one from each parent. These alleles can be the same (homozygous) or different (heterozygous).
Difference:
- Genes are the basic units of heredity responsible for specific traits, while alleles are different forms of a gene.
- Genes are located on chromosomes and provide instructions for protein synthesis, whereas alleles represent variations of the same gene.
- Individuals inherit two alleles for each gene, but they can have different alleles (heterozygous) or the same alleles (homozygous).
In summary, genes are the instructions for traits, while alleles are the different versions of those instructions that can lead to trait variations within a population.