Locus
Definition
A locus is a specified position or region within a genome used to describe or examine genetic information. Different loci can contain different kinds of variation, and identifying the target region does not establish the allele or contributor represented.
- Context
- Genetic markers
For example, naming a genomic region identifies the target location but does not specify which allele or contributor is represented in the sample.
A marker name alone does not establish a person or mixture contribution. Assay performance, population information and interpretation methods remain necessary.
Related terms
- Chromosome
- A chromosome is an organised DNA-containing structure that carries genetic information through a cell lineage. In typical human nucleated cells, nuclear chromosomes...
- Exon
- Sequence retained in a mature transcript, which may be coding or untranslated. A transcript is an RNA product of transcription. Not every...
- Gene
- A gene is a genomic region contributing to a functional product, such as a protein or RNA, within a biological expression system....
- Heterozygosity
- The probability that two alleles chosen at random from a population at a given locus are different. A locus with heterozygosity approaching...
Explained in
- Chromosomes, Genes and the Human GenomeA specified genomic position or region.