Glossary

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Genotype

Entirety of all genes of an organism

“Genotype” signifies the totality of the genetic information encoded in an organism’s DNA, as distinct from the “phenotype” or actual manifestation of these genes in the organism’s apparent structure. Not all the genetic information in an organism is fully expressed at all times, so individuals with the same genotype may actually show phenotypic differences (as in the case of identical twins). Thus, it cannot be concluded that apparently identical phenotypes also have identical genotypes, because only those genes that are expressed contribute to phenotype.