Definition(s)
- Variant forms of the same gene. Different alleles produce variations in inherited characteristics such as eye color or blood type.
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Definition from: Office of Rare Diseases
at the National Institutes of Health
- One of the alternative versions of a gene at a given location (locus) along a chromosome
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Definition from: GeneReviews
from the University of Washington and the National Center for Biotechnology Information
- An allele is one of two or more versions of a gene. An individual inherits two alleles for each gene, one from each parent. If the two alleles are the same, the individual is homozygous for that gene. If the alleles are different, the individual is heterozygous. Though the term "allele" was originally used to describe variation among genes, it now also refers to variation among non-coding DNA sequences.
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Definition from: Talking Glossary of Genetic Terms from the National Human Genome Research Institute
Related discussion in the Handbook
See also Understanding Medical Terminology.
