What are all the genes in an organism collectively called?

What are all the genes in an organism collectively called?

• A. Allele
• B. Chromosome
• C. DNA
• D. Genome

Answer: (D)

Think of the genome as the complete set of genetic material in an organism. It includes all genes and the surrounding noncoding sequences that regulate them, basically everything stored in the organism’s DNA. That makes it the right term for “all the genes in an organism collectively,” because the genome encompasses every gene along with the other genetic elements present in the cells. To contrast briefly: an allele is just a variant form of a single gene, a chromosome is a discrete structure that carries DNA, and DNA is the molecule that holds the genetic information. The genome is the full collection that contains all those genes and the sequences between and around them.

Think of the genome as the complete set of genetic material in an organism. It includes all genes and the surrounding noncoding sequences that regulate them, basically everything stored in the organism’s DNA. That makes it the right term for “all the genes in an organism collectively,” because the genome encompasses every gene along with the other genetic elements present in the cells.

To contrast briefly: an allele is just a variant form of a single gene, a chromosome is a discrete structure that carries DNA, and DNA is the molecule that holds the genetic information. The genome is the full collection that contains all those genes and the sequences between and around them.