allele
Definition:
In a paternity test, an allele is one of the two gene pairs at a particular location (locus, or marker) for a DNA profile.
Examples:
At a certain locus (location on the gene, or marker) a child may have two alleles measuring 8 and 10. On a paternity test report this reads as \\\'8,10\\\' at that location. One of the alleles (either the \\\'8\\\' or the \\\'10\\\') comes from the child\\\'s biological mother and the other must come from the biological father.
A typical paternity test looks at up to 15 locations (up to 30 alleles) to determine paternity.
see also: chromosome, gene, locus
