Dictionary > Hemizygote

Hemizygote

Definition
noun, plural: hemizygotes
A diploid cell or organism in which there is only one allele present for a particular gene.
Supplement
A hemizygote results when one copy of a gene is deleted.
Example of hemizygote organisms are the male honeybees that develop from unfertilized eggs. Hence, they are haploid organisms unlike their female counterparts that are diploid.
Word origin: hemi- (half) + zygote.

Related forms: hemizygous (adjective).
See also: zygosity
Related term:

Last updated on January 25th, 2020

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