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polymorphism Definition

poly·mor·phism (päl′i môr′fiz′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.