Definition of polytene in English:
polytene
adjective ˈpɒlɪtiːnˈpäləˌtēn
Genetics Relating to or denoting a giant chromosome which is composed of many parallel copies of the genetic material, as found in Drosophila fruit flies where they are much used in genetic research.
Example sentencesExamples
- The structures of rearrangements were defined by mitotic chromosome staining as well as by genetic and polytene chromosome analysis.
- Cytogenetic studies of mitotic and polytene chromosomes, allozyme data, and crossing studies indicate that An. dirus A and C are very closely related.
- Two of those contained repetitive sequence and hybridized to the centromeres of the polytene chromosomes.
- Anopheline mosquitoes, like Drosophila, are renowned for the presence of polytene chromosomes and chromosomal inversions.
- It was mapped in Drosophila by polytene chromosome in situ to 3L heterochromatin.
- This was first recognized more than a half century ago in cytological studies of lampbrush chromosomes in amphibian oocytes and polytene chromosomes in insects.
Origin
1930s: from poly- 'many' + -tene (from Greek tainia 'band, ribbon') denoting stages of the first meiotic division.