putative definition
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Putative Definition
What is putative? The word putative denotes to a supposition that is based on what is commonly accepted rather than on actual proof. How about in biology? What does putative mean?
In biology, the term is commonly used to describe an entity or a concept that is based on what is generally accepted or inferred even without direct proof of it, meaning it denotes something, like an inference or a supposition, that is accepted because it is deemed to be the case or what has been commonly believed even without solid evidence to back it up.
Etymology
The word putative came from the Middle French putatif, from Latin putātīvus, meaning “suppose”, “purported”. The term putātīvus, in turn, was derived from putātus, meaning “thought”. Synonyms: purported; reputed; supposed.
Putative Examples
Putative gene, for instance, refers to a nucleotide sequence believed to be a gene because of its open reading frame. However, its function and the protein it codes for has not been (fully) identified. (Ref.1) For example, putative gene 57 is the (temporary) name suggested for the gene coding for a protein produced by Bacteriophage SP01 that infects the bacterium, Bacillus subtilis. (Ref.2)
Other examples:
- Putative 32-kDa heart protein
- Putative ADAM18 Gene Product
- Putative alpha-synuclein-binding protein
- Putative chemokine receptor
- Putative claudin-24
- Putative DNA/chromatin binding motif 2
- Putative eukaryotic translation initiation factor 1A
- Putative folate hydrolase 1B
- Putative G protein-coupled receptor
- Putative golgin subfamily A member 6B
Mentioned in
- Plant root cap
- Secretase
References
- Slonczewski, Joan; John Watkins Foster (2009). Microbiology: An Evolving Science. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.
- Stewart CR, Gaslightwala I, Hinata K, Krolikowski KA, Needleman DS, Peng AS, Peterman MA, Tobias A, Wei P. Genes and regulatory sites of the “host-takeover module” in the terminal redundancy of Bacillus subtilis bacteriophage SPO1. Virology. 1998 Jul 5; 246 (2): 329-40.
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