Intragenic

Intragenic is an adjective used in genetics to describe events, mutations, or features that occur within a single gene, as opposed to intergenic events that occur between genes. The term encompasses sequence changes inside the gene’s boundaries, including coding regions, introns, untranslated regions (UTRs), and regulatory elements embedded within the gene locus. In practical use, intragenic refers to mutations or recombination that affect only a single gene and do not extend to other genes.

Intragenic mutations are sequence changes within a gene that can alter the function or regulation of the encoded product. These include coding changes such as missense, nonsense, or frameshift mutations, splice-site mutations in introns, and alterations in regulatory motifs within UTRs or introns. The phenotypic consequences vary from benign to severe, depending on the nature and location of the change.

Intragenic suppression describes a phenomenon where a second mutation within the same gene mitigates or compensates for the effect of an earlier mutation, potentially restoring function. Intragenic recombination refers to genetic exchange that occurs within a gene, generating novel alleles and contributing to genetic diversity.

In research and medicine, intragenic analysis helps map gene function, study mutational effects, and design targeted genetic interventions where the goal is to modify a single gene’s activity without affecting others. See also intergenic, gene, mutation, recombination, splicing.