Definition
oligogene
noun
- A gene that has a relatively large effect on a quantitative trait, in contrast to polygenes which have small individual effects.
Usage: genetics; technical
Examples
- The height of the plant is controlled by several oligogenes rather than many small-effect genes.
- Researchers identified an oligogene responsible for a significant portion of the variation in disease susceptibility.
- Unlike polygenes, oligogenes produce measurable phenotypic differences in offspring.
- The inheritance pattern suggested the involvement of one or more oligogenes in the trait.