polymorphism Hear it!

polymorphism Definition

poly·mor·phism (päl′i môrfiz′əm)

noun

  1. Chem., Mineralogy the property of certain substances of crystallizing in two or more different forms or systems
  2. Biol. the condition in which a species has two or more very different morphological forms, as the castes of social insects or the flowers of certain plants

Etymology: polymorph(ous) + -ism

polymorphism Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • amplify: Amplified fragment length polymorphism ( AFLP ) patterns of patient cultures are indistinguishable from those of the samples from the cooling tower.
  • detect: For these strains other typing methods that detect genetic polymorphism are now available.
  • associate: Are vitamin D receptor polymorphisms associated with bone mineral density?
  • identify: Identify polymorphisms for target genes in different cattle breeds.

Adjective modifier

  • conformational: Single strand conformational polymorphism ( SSCP ) analysis and direct sequencing of TSG101 cDNAs also identified no mutations or deletions.
  • parametric: This type of polymorphism is sometimes called parametric polymorphism.
  • genetic: This is most likely to be due to genetic polymorphism.
  • ace: In addition an extensive search was made for other studies relating to ACE gene polymorphism and renal damage.
  • single: In addition, approximately 2.5 single nucleotide polymorphisms were identified.
  • functional: To contrast, functional languages gain polymorphism through the use of first-class functions.

Modifies a noun

  • analysis: We have pioneered the application of single stranded conformational polymorphism analysis to the SHV family of ESBLs.

Noun used with modifier

  • nucleotide: Low levels of nucleotide polymorphism within species coincided with low rates of recombination.
  • single-nucleotide: This is how single-nucleotide polymorphisms influence drug response patterns.
  • single-strand: DNA abnormalities were screened by the PCR method and single-strand conformation polymorphism ( SSCP ) analysis.
  • conformation: The method is called single-stranded conformation polymorphism ( SSCP ).
  • microsatellite: We genotyped the IVS1-397 and TA n microsatellite polymorphisms of the ESR1 gene in 325 cases and 327 controls samples of Hong Kong Chinese.
  • fragment: First, restriction fragment length polymorphisms ( RFLPs ) were established by Southern blot analysis.

Preposition: in

  • gene: Polymorphisms in key genes interact with food components to modify the risks of common diseases.

Preposition: of

  • handedness: Evolution of the polymorphism of handedness: link to socio-economic status.
  • gene: In fact, in some populations, polymorphism of the ER gene has been correlated with BMD.