exome

noun ex·ome \ ˈek-ˌsōm \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

Definition of exome

: the part of the genome consisting of exons that code information for protein synthesis

The Personal Genome Project is beginning with the exome: the 1 percent of our genome that is translated into strings of amino acids that assemble themselves into proteins.
—Steven Pinker

The exome is the portion of the genome known to encode proteins … . Whole-exome sequencing has the advantage of reduced cost and analysis of a much smaller data set than that obtained by sequencing the entire genome.
—Howard J. Jacob

Recent Examples of exome from the Web

Helix customers pay a one-time $80 fee to have their exome sequenced and stored in the company’s server, and can later take multiple tests that access their DNA information from the same database.

— catherine ho, San Francisco Chronicle, "Helix, a startup that stores your genetic data online, nets $200 million," 1 Mar. 2018
Elemento’s team at Cornell, for example, has developed a whole exome test that compares mutations in tumors against healthy cells across 22,000 genes.

— megan molteni, WIRED, "With Medicare Support, Genetic Cancer Testing Goes Mainstream," 20 Mar. 2018
So the latest study used a new technique known as whole-exome sequencing to only target genes that encode proteins.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Unraveling the Genetics Behind Why Some People “See” Sound and “Hear” Color," 12 Mar. 2018
Amanda Tilot, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, and her colleagues put three families through a genetic sequencing protocol called whole exome sequencing.

— kate sheridan, Newsweek, "Do Numbers Have Color? Mysterious Synesthesia Abilities Tied to Six Genes in Breakthrough Study," 5 Mar. 2018
The exome accounts for roughly 3 percent of the whole human genome.

— catherine ho, San Francisco Chronicle, "Helix, a startup that stores your genetic data online, nets $200 million," 1 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'exome.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.