cDNA (Complementary DNA):
* A synthetic DNA copied from messenger RNA (mRNA) by the enzyme reverse transcriptase. Used to refer to either a single-stranded copy or its double-stranded derivative. Usage: "a cDNA clone", "a cDNA library" or "to isolate a cDNA".
Clone:
* A recombinant DNA molecule containing a gene or other DNA sequence of interest. Also, the act of generating such a molecule. Usage: "to isolate a clone" or "to clone a gene"
Host:
* The organism used to isolate and propagate a recombinant DNA molecule. Usually a strain of the bacterium Escherichia coli or the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Usage: "What host did they use?"
Hybridization:
* The act of two complementary single-stranded nucleic acid molecules forming bonds and becoming a double-stranded molecule. Usage: "The probe hybridized to a gene".
Insert:
* A fragment of human DNA cloned into a particular vector. Usage:"They purified the insert"
Library:
* A collection of recombinant clones from a source known to contain the gene, cDNA, or other DNA sequences of interest. In principle, a library may contain all the DNA sequences represented in the original cell, tissue, or chromosome. Usage: "a muscle cDNA library" or "a human genomic library"
Ligation:
* The act of forming phosphodiester bonds to join two double-stranded DNA molecules with the enzyme DNA ligase. Ligation is the essential step in creating recombinant DNA molecules. Usage: "The fragments were ligated together"
Probe:
* A cloned DNA or RNA molecule, labeled with radioactivity or another detectable tracer, used to identify its complementary sequences by molecular hybridization; also, the act of using such a molecule. Usage: "the beta-globin probe" or "to probe a patient's DNA"
Restriction endonucleases (restriction enzymes):
* Enzymes that recognize specific double-stranded DNA sequences and cleve the DNA at or near the recognition site. Usage: "a restriction enzyme digest" (or just "a restriction digest") or "the restriction enzyme EcoRI".
Southern Blot:
* A filter to which DNA has been transferred, usually after restriction enzyme digestion and gel electrophoresis to separate DNA molecules by size (named after the developer of the technique, Ed Southern); also, the act of generating such a filter and hybridizing it to a specific probe. Usage: "to probe a Southern blot" or "they did a Southern".
Vector:
* the DNA molecule into which the gene or other DNA fragment of interest is cloned, capable of replicating in a particular host. Examples include plasmids, bacteriophage lambda, cosmids, and yeast artificial chromosomes. Usage: "a cloning vector" or "the cosmid vector".