revertant

[ ri-vur-tnt ]

noun

1. a gene, organism, or strain that has undergone a back mutation.

adjective

1. of or relating to a gene, organism, or strain that has undergone a back mutation.

Word History and Origins

Origin of revertant¹

1580–90, for an earlier sense; revert + -ant

Example Sentences

These patches, dubbed ‘revertant skin patches’, have normal pigmentation13, which is consistent with the finding by Liu et al. that COL17A1 also plays a key part in the maintenance of skin-pigment stem cells.

From Nature

But only about 20% to 30% of people with EB have revertant skin cells, so other groups have taken a more traditional approach.

From Science Magazine

The scientists transformed some of these “revertant” cells into iPS cells, then from them grew skin cells called keratinocytes that expressed the type of collagen missing in the patients.

From Science Magazine

Using revertant cells in this manner for EB could avoid the risks of gene therapy and “be a little more straightforward,” says study leader Angela Christiano.

From Science Magazine