marqueurs

Marqueurs is a general term used across disciplines to denote indicators that identify, classify, or monitor a phenomenon, object, or state. They can be qualitative or quantitative and may refer to biological, linguistic, geographic, or methodological signals.

In biology and medicine, the expression marqueur is often synonymous with biomarker. Biological markers are substances, structures, or processes that can be measured and evaluated as indicators of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or responses to a treatment. They include proteins, genes, metabolites, imaging signals, and other measurable features. Clinical uses cover diagnosis, prognosis, patient stratification for therapies, and monitoring disease progression or treatment efficacy.

In genetics and genomics, genetic markers are specific DNA sequences with known locations used to identify individuals or determine genetic relationships. Common types include single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), short tandem repeats (STRs), and variable number tandem repeats (VNTRs). Markers underpin linkage analyses, population genetics studies, ancestry inference, and forensic identification, often enabling high-resolution mapping and genotyping across large cohorts.

In linguistics, discourse or textual markers function as signals that organize speech or writing, indicating relationships between ideas, stance, or transitions. They are not substantive content but cues such as adverbs, conjunctions, or intonation that guide interpretation, for example in French discourse markers like donc or pourtant.

Other uses include chemical or environmental markers that identify specific substances or pollution sources, authenticity markers in foods or pharmaceuticals, and geographic markers that denote locations on maps. Across fields, marqueurs support observation, classification, and decision-making by providing measurable or observable references.