lethal gene

noun

, Genetics.

1. a gene that under certain conditions causes the death of an organism.

Word History and Origins

Origin of lethal gene¹

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

A recent study from the Powell lab at Yale University has since confirmed that some of the offspring of the GM mosquitoes didn’t succumb to the self-limiting lethal gene and survived to adulthood.

From Salon

Oxitec’s latest strain of GM mosquitoes is designed to spread the lethal gene more effectively.

From Science Magazine

Despite the enormous potential for such efforts to yield drug targets, a challenge remains: how can researchers systematically search for synthetically lethal gene relationships?

From Nature

When I ask him the probability of his three sons inheriting the same lethal gene, there's a pause and he chokes up.

From BBC

Identification of essential genes and synthetic lethal gene combinations in Escherichia coli K-12.

From Nature