cDNA
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. Complementary DNA: A form of DNA synthesized from a messenger RNA (mRNA) template using the enzyme reverse transcriptase. It is complementary to the mRNA sequence and, unlike genomic DNA, lacks introns.
Usage
- cdna is used primarily in molecular biology and genetics contexts to refer to the DNA copy of an mRNA molecule.
- It is often used as a tool for gene cloning, studying gene expression, and creating cDNA libraries.
Examples
- The researcher synthesized cdna from the isolated mRNA to study the gene's expression pattern.
- A cdna library represents the genes that were actively being transcribed in a cell at a specific time.
- Comparing genomic DNA to cdna can help identify the exons of a gene.
Advanced Usage
- Full-length cdna: A cDNA that contains the complete coding sequence of a gene, from the start codon to the stop codon, corresponding to a fully processed mRNA.
- cdna clone: A DNA fragment, derived from cDNA, that has been inserted into a vector for propagation and study.
- cdna synthesis: The laboratory process of creating cDNA from an RNA template using reverse transcriptase.
Variants and Related Words
- Complementary DNA: The full term for cDNA.
- Reverse Transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR): A technique that uses cDNA as a template to amplify specific sequences via PCR, commonly used to measure gene expression levels.
- Expressed Sequence Tag (EST): A short subsequence of a cDNA sequence, used to identify gene transcripts.
Synonyms
- Complementary DNA (the formal, unabbreviated synonym).
- Copy DNA (a less common but occasionally used synonym).
Notes
- cdna is typically written in lowercase, though the initialism is derived from "complementary DNA." It is a specific technical term with no direct, common-language synonyms outside of scientific discourse.
- It is not used in idiomatic expressions or phrasal verbs due to its highly specialized nature.
Noun
- single-stranded DNA that is complementary to messenger RNA or DNA that has been synthesized from messenger RNA by reverse transcriptase