BioConcepts

cistronCistron (ger.)

• A section of nucleic acid that codes for a specific polypeptide. (OED 2011)
  category gene see also muton recon

  1957

  It turns out that a group of non-complementary mutants falls within a limited segment of the genetic map. Such a map segment, corresponding to a function which is unitary as defined by the cis-trans test applied to the heterocaryon, will be referred to as a ›cistron‹.

  Benzer, S. (1957). The elementary units of heredity. In: McElroy, W.D. & Glass, B. (ed.). A Symposium on the Chemical Basis of Heredity, 70-93: 71.

  1982

  cistron A functional gene; part of a DNA sequence that codes for a single cellular function, such as the synthesis of an enzyme.    

  Lincoln, R.J., Boxshall, G.A. & Clark, P.F. (1982). A Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics: 47.