Structural gene

Structural gene (pronunciation: /ˈstrʌktʃərəl dʒiːn/) is a type of gene that codes for any RNA or protein product other than a regulatory factor (i.e., enzyme, structural protein, etc.).

Etymology

The term "structural gene" is derived from the word "structure" which refers to the arrangement of and relations between the parts or elements of something complex, and "gene" which is a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.

Related Terms

Gene: A gene is a unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
RNA: Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes.
Protein: Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues.
Regulatory factor: Regulatory factors, also known as transcription factors, are proteins that bind to specific DNA sequences, thereby controlling the flow (or transcription) of genetic information from DNA to mRNA.
Enzyme: Enzymes are biological molecules (typically proteins) that significantly speed up the rate of virtually all of the chemical reactions that take place within cells.
Structural protein: Structural proteins are fibrous proteins and are the most abundant class of proteins in nature.