homosügoot

Homosügoot is a term used in genetics to describe an individual or cell that has two identical alleles for a particular gene. Alleles are different versions of the same gene. For example, if a gene determines eye color, there might be an allele for brown eyes and an allele for blue eyes. If an individual is homosügoot for the brown eye allele, they have two copies of that specific allele. The same applies if they have two copies of the blue eye allele.

The term "homosügoot" is derived from the Greek prefix "homo-" meaning "same" and "zygotos" meaning "yoked" or "paired," referring to the paired nature of chromosomes in diploid organisms. Each chromosome in a pair carries alleles for the same genes. When both chromosomes in a pair carry the identical allele for a specific gene, the organism is considered homosügoot for that gene.

In contrast to homosügoot, an individual or cell that has two different alleles for a particular gene is described as heterosügoot. The genetic makeup of an organism, particularly concerning a specific gene, is called its genotype. Therefore, an organism can have a homosügoot genotype (e.g., AA or aa) or a heterosügoot genotype (e.g., Aa). The phenotype, which is the observable physical or biochemical characteristics of an organism, is determined by the genotype, often influenced by whether the alleles are dominant or recessive.