Somatic mutation

Somatic mutation
A change in a gene or chromosome that occurs in a general body cell, as opposed to a germ cell, and so cannot be transmitted to children. A somatic mutation occurs in a single cell after the conception of the individual. That change is then transmitted to all cells descended from that cell, giving rise to a clone of cells marked by the mutation. Some somatic mutations are involved in the development of cancer. For example, colon cancer occurs because of a somatic mutation in the cells lining the inner colon. Somatic mutations are also termed acquired mutations.

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somatic mutation n a mutation occurring in a somatic cell and inducing a chimera

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a mutation in a somatic cell, rather than a germ cell; it provides the basis for mosaicism, but is not transmitted to progeny. Somatic mutations have been implicated in the development of many forms of cancer. Cf. germline m.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • somatic mutation — Mutation that occurs in the somatic tissues of an organism, and that will not, therefore, be heritable, since it is not present in the germ cells. Some neoplasia is due to somatic mutation; a more conspicuous example is the reversion of some… …   Dictionary of molecular biology

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  • Somatic evolution in cancer — Somatic evolution is the accumulation of mutations in the cells of a body (the soma) during a lifetime, and the effects of those mutations on the fitness of those cells. Somatic evolution is important in the process of aging as well as the… …   Wikipedia

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  • Mutation, somatic — A change in a gene or chromosome that occurs in a general body cell, as opposed to a germ cell, and so cannot be transmitted to children. A somatic mutation occurs in a single cell after the conception of the individual. That change is then… …   Medical dictionary

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