penetrance

[ pen-i-truhns ]

nounGenetics.

the frequency, expressed as a percentage, with which a particular gene produces its effect in a group of organisms.: Compare expressivity (def. 2).

Origin of penetrance

First recorded in 1635–45; penetr(ant) + -ance

Words Nearby penetrance

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use penetrance in a sentence

This has to do with the way penetrance is calculated, he says.
The Genetic Heroes That Could Cure the Sick | Carrie Arnold | July 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
“These measures of penetrance are likely artificially high,” says University of Cardiff medical geneticist David Cooper.
The Genetic Heroes That Could Cure the Sick | Carrie Arnold | July 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
If scientists identify 100 individuals with the same mutation, and 75 of them have disease, the penetrance is 75 percent.
The Genetic Heroes That Could Cure the Sick | Carrie Arnold | July 1, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for penetrance

penetrance

/ (ˈpɛnɪtrəns) /

noun

genetics the percentage frequency with which a gene exhibits its effect

Origin of penetrance

C20: from penetr (ant) + -ance, on the model of German penetranz

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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