cistron

Meanings

Plural: cistrons

Noun

(genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain; it can include regions preceding and following the coding DNA as well as introns between the exons; it is considered a unit of heredity
The unit of hereditary material (e.g. DNA) that encodes one protein.

Origin / Etymology

Coined by American molecular biologist Seymour Benzer in 1957, from cis + trans + -on. Named in the context of using a "cis-trans comparison" for identifying " […] whether two mutants, having similar defects, are indeed defective in the same way."

Synonyms

factor, gene

Scrabble Score: 9

cistron is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
cistron is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
cistron is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 11

cistron is a valid Words With Friends word