ArticleGenetics2017
The Evolving Definition of the Term "Gene".
Article in Genetics, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed.
- The gene revisited: historical foundations and postgenomic complexity.Theory in biosciences = Theorie in den Biowissenschaften · 2026Review
- Cancer: From a Genetic Disorder to a Systemic Disease.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Article
- A new symbiotic, holistic and gradualist model proposal for the concept of "living organism".Theory in biosciences = Theorie in den Biowissenschaften · 2025Article
- Integrated transcriptomic and single-cell RNA sequencing identifies lysosomal ion channel genes as potential biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease.Frontiers in genetics · 2025Article
- Using reinforcement learning in genome assembly: in-depth analysis of a Q-learning assembler.Frontiers in bioinformatics · 2025Article
- Unveiling the Future of Cardiac Care: A Review of Gene Therapy in Cardiomyopathies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Review
- Intrinsic Disorder and Other Malleable Arsenals of Evolved Protein Multifunctionality.Journal of molecular evolution · 2024Review
- Precise genome editing of the Kozak sequence enables bidirectional and quantitative modulation of protein translation to anticipated levels without affecting transcription.Nucleic acids research · 2023Article
- Review
- Virtual Fly Brain-An interactive atlas of theFrontiers in physiology · 2023Article
- Individual Genetic Heterogeneity.Genes · 2022Review
- Virtual Gene Concept and a Corresponding Pragmatic Research Program in Genetical Data Science.Entropy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Discovery of genomic variation across a generation.Human molecular genetics · 2021Article
- Genetic Polymorphisms in Pharmaceuticals and Chemotherapy.World journal of oncology · 2021Review
- Article
- Co-developing a common glossary with stakeholders for engagement on new genetic approaches for malaria control in a local African setting.Malaria journal · 2021Article
- Role of Pharmacogenetics in Adverse Drug Reactions: An Update towards Personalized Medicine.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2021Review
- Birth of a Regulatory Long Non-coding RNA/Gene,Frontiers in genetics · 2021Article
- Nutrigenetics/Nutrigenomics, Personalized Nutrition, and Precision Healthcare.Current nutrition reports · 2020Review
- Tracking Knowledge Evolution Based on the Terminology Dynamics in 4P-Medicine.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
This paper presents a history of the changing meanings of the term "gene," over more than a century, and a discussion of why this word, so crucial to genetics, needs redefinition today. In this account, the first two phases of 20th century genetics are designated the "classical" and the "neoclassical" periods, and the current molecular-genetic era the "modern period." While the first two stages generated increasing clarity about the nature of the gene, the present period features complexity and confusion. Initially, the term "gene" was coined to denote an abstract "unit of inheritance," to which no specific material attributes were assigned. As the classical and neoclassical periods unfolded, the term became more concrete, first as a dimensionless point on a chromosome, then as a linear segment within a chromosome, and finally as a linear segment in the DNA molecule that encodes a polypeptide chain. This last definition, from the early 1960s, remains the one employed today, but developments since the 1970s have undermined its generality. Indeed, they raise questions about both the utility of the concept of a basic "unit of inheritance" and the long implicit belief that genes are autonomous agents. Here, we review findings that have made the classic molecular definition obsolete and propose a new one based on contemporary knowledge.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.