Glossary Term
Messenger RNA
A class of RNA molecule containing protein-coding information in its nucleotide sequence that can be translated into the amino acid sequence of a protein.
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Glossary Term
A class of RNA molecule containing protein-coding information in its nucleotide sequence that can be translated into the amino acid sequence of a protein.
Glossary Term
A sequence of single-stranded RNA, that is 20-25 nucleotides in length, which is transcribed from DNA but is not translated into a protein. This nucleic acid may regulate the transcription or translation of other genes.
Glossary Term
Technologies that facilitate the rapid determination of the nucleotide sequence of large numbers of strands or segments of DNA or RNA.
Glossary Term
The sample-preparation stage that lyses cells or virions and purifies DNA/RNA before amplification. Extraction quality (yield, purity, inhibitors removed) often limits assay performance more than the PCR itself, and it defines required instruments and hands-on time in a workflow.
Glossary Term
A subunit of DNA or RNA consisting of a nitrogenous base (adenine, guanine, thymine, or cytosine in DNA; adenine, guanine, uracil, or cytosine in RNA), a phosphate molecule, and a sugar molecule (deoxyribose in DNA and ribose in RNA).
Glossary Term
Short DNA oligonucleotide chains used to prime DNA (and in some cases RNA) synthesis.
Glossary Term
The enzymatic processing of a polypeptide chain after translation from messenger RNA and after peptide bond formation has occurred. Examples include glycosylation, acylation, limited proteolysis, phosphorylation, isoprenylation.
Glossary Term
General term for a piece of DNA or RNA corresponding to a gene or sequence of interest, that has been labelled either radioactively or with some other detectable molecule, such as biotin, digoxygenin or fluorescein. As stretches of DNA or RNA with complementary sequences will hybridize, a probe will label viral plaques, bacterial colonies or bands on a gel that contain the gene of interest.
Glossary Term
A DNA sequence at which RNA polymerase binds and initiates transcription.
Glossary Term
An RNA-dependent DNA polymerase that is involved in the replication of retroviruses an in the maintenance of telomeres.
Glossary Term
A two-step setup in which RNA is first copied into complementary DNA by a reverse transcriptase and then amplified by PCR. Used for RNA viruses such as influenza, RSV, SARS-CoV-2, and HCV. In procurement documents, confirm whether "RT-PCR" refers to real-time (quantitative) or endpoint (qualitative) reading.
Glossary Term
The action of copying RNA into DNA by reverse transcriptase.