Genes are part of DNA and decide the genetic traits that a person will have. Alleles are DNA sequences that determine a single characteristic of an individual.
What is Gene?
A gene is a unit of information located at a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) locus that encodes a functional product such as proteins. It is the unit of genetic inheritance, it is responsible for storing genetic information and transmitting it to offspring. Genes are found on chromosomes and are located in certain positions known as loci. The representative set of genes for a species is known as a genome.
Genes are formed by a sequence of contiguous nucleotides in the DNA molecule and contain the information necessary to synthesize a macromolecule with specific cellular functions related to the functioning of a physiological function.
What is Allele?
It is one of the alternative forms that a gene can have that differs in sequence and manifests itself in specific modifications based on the same gene. Each pair of alleles is located at an equal locus on its chromosome. The concept comes from the word allelomorph, that is, something that occurs in various ways in a population of individuals. A gene can define a characteristic, such as the color of your hair, but the alleles can decide it, that is, an allele was black is dominant and an allele was blonde is recessive, when they come together in pairs they cause the hair color black is represented in the individual.
Differences between Gene and Allele
- Genes are the different parts of DNA that decide a person’s genetic traits.
- Alleles are the diverse sequences of DNA that determine a single characteristic in an individual.
- Alleles occur in pairs and are differentiated between recessive and dominant.
- Alleles produce opposite phenotypes. They can be homogeneous or homozygous or heterozygous if the allele pair is different.
