| Term | Definition |
|---|
| automated DNA sequencing | Fast method of sequencing cloned or PCR-amplified DNA. |
| cDNA | DNA molecule copied from a mature mRNA transcript by reverse transcription. |
| cloning vector | Any plasmid, viral DNA, or some other piece of DNA that researchers use to isolate and amplify DNA of interest. |
| DNA clone | Many identical copies of DNA that was inserted into plasmids and later amplified. |
| DNA fingerprint | DNA fragments inherited in a Mendelian pattern that give each individual a unique identity. |
| DNA ligase | Enzyme that seals new base-pairings during DNA replication. |
| DNA microarray | Gene chip stamped with thousands of DNA sequences from a genome. |
| gel electrophoresis | Laboratory technique used to distinguish among molecules. Applied electric field forces them to migrate through a viscous gel and distance themselves from one another by length, size, or electric charge. |
| gene library | Mixed collection of bacteria that house many different cloned DNA fragments. |
| gene therapy | Generally, a transfer of one or more normal genes into an organism to correct or lessen adverse effects of a genetic disorder. |
| genetic engineering | Deliberately altering the information content of DNA molecules. |
| genome | All the DNA in a haploid number of chromosomes for a given species. |
| genomics | Study of the genome of humans and other organisms. |
| nucleic acid hybridization | Any base-pairing between DNA or RNA from different sources. |
| PCR | A method of enormously amplifying the quantity of DNA fragments cut by restriction enzymes. |
| plasmid | A small, circular molecule of extra bacterial DNA that carries a few genes and is replicated independently of the chromosome. |
| primer | Short nucleotide sequence designed to base-pair with any complementary DNA sequence; acts as a START tag for replication. |
| probe | Very short stretch of DNA labeled with a radioisotope; it is designed to base-pair with part of a gene in a DNA sample being studied. |
| recombinant DNA technology | Procedures by which DNA molecules from different species are isolated, cut up, spliced together, and then enormously amplified to useful quantities. |
| restriction enzyme | One of a class of bacterial enzymes that can cut apart foreign DNA that infects a cell, as by viral attack. Important tool of recombinant DNA technology. |
| reverse transcriptase | An enzyme from RNA viruses that catalyzes transcription in reverse; assembles a complementary DNA strand on an mRNA transcript. |
| seed bank | A safe storage facility where genes of diverse plant lineages are being preserved. |
| tandem repeats | One of many short sequences of DNA, occurring one after the other, in a chromosome. Used in DNA fingerprinting. |
| xenotransplantation | The transfer of an organ from one species to another. |
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