BioBuilder

Glossary

Activator

A protein that positively regulates transcription, usually by binding near the promoter and physically interacting with RNA polymerase to increase its activity.

Activation

See Positive regulation.

Aliquot

A small volume taken from a larger sample.

BioBrick

DNA that conforms to a specified assembly standard, usually by flanking the DNA parts with particular restriction sites.

Cell density

The number of cells in a given volume.

Central dogma

A unifying idea in molecular biology regarding the flow of information from genetic code to physical trait, which states that DNA encodes RNA that specifies protein sequence.

Chassis

The housing for a system. This term often refers to the cellular host when used in the field of synthetic biology.

Coding Sequence (CDS)

See Open reading frame (ORF).

Codon

Three contiguous nucleotides that code for a specific amino acid or stop signal in an open reading frame.

Competent

Describes a state in which cells can accept DNA from their environment.

Consensus sequence

The most frequent pattern of nucleotides found for a particular DNA part throughout a genome or many genomes.

Constitutive

A function that is always “on,” in contrast to a function that is sometimes “on” and sometimes “off.”

Culture

To grow cells in the lab.

Downstream

A DNA sequence that is positioned 3’ relative to another DNA sequence.

Emergent behavior

An unexpected characteristic resulting from altering or recombining components of a complex system. ...