Essential (biology)
Encyclopedia
An essential part of an organism
is something that the organism cannot continue to be alive or reproduce without. For instance, mitochondria are essential to most eukaryotic cells. Genes
can also be considered with regards to their essentiality. Essentiality is an important property in the context of pathogens, since drugs acting on specific genes that are not essential are less likely to be an effective treatment than those that are. In contrast, genes that are essential are in general thought to be better drug targets.
Organism
In biology, an organism is any contiguous living system . In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homoeostasis as a stable whole.An organism may either be unicellular or, as in the case of humans, comprise...
is something that the organism cannot continue to be alive or reproduce without. For instance, mitochondria are essential to most eukaryotic cells. Genes
Gênes
Gênes is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Italy, named after the city of Genoa. It was formed in 1805, when Napoleon Bonaparte occupied the Republic of Genoa. Its capital was Genoa, and it was divided in the arrondissements of Genoa, Bobbio, Novi Ligure, Tortona and...
can also be considered with regards to their essentiality. Essentiality is an important property in the context of pathogens, since drugs acting on specific genes that are not essential are less likely to be an effective treatment than those that are. In contrast, genes that are essential are in general thought to be better drug targets.