autosomal

views updated

autosomal (aw-tŏ-soh-măl) adj. relating to an autosome. a. dominant denoting hereditary diseases in which the defective gene is dominant and will therefore tend to be inherited by (and be expressed in) 50% of the offspring (of either sex) of the person with the disease. a. recessive denoting inherited diseases in which the defective gene is recessive but not sex-linked. See also recessive.