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| A protein that binds to DNA and stimulates transcription of a specific gene. |
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| A virus that infects bacteria; also called a phage. |
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| In prokaryotes, the direct transfer of DNA between two cells that are temporarily joined. In ciliates, a sexual process in which two cells exchange haploid micronuclei. |
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| A small molecule that cooperates with a repressor protein to switch on operon off. |
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| A fertility factor in bacteria; a DNA segment that confers the ability to form pili for conjugation and associated functions required for the transfer of DNA from donor to recipient. It may exist as a plasmid or be integrated into the bacterial chromosome. |
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| The plasmid form of the F factor. |
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| A specific small molecule that inactivates the repressor in an operon. |
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| A phage replication cycle in which the viral genome becomes incorporated into the bacterial host chromosome as a prophage and does not kill the host. |
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| A type of viral (phage) replication cycle resulting in the release of new phages by lysis (and death) of the host cell. |
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| In prokaryotic DNA, a sequence of nucleotides near the start of an operon to which an active repressor can attach. The binding of the repressor prevents RNA polymerase from attaching to the promoter and transcribing the genes of the operon. |
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| A unit of genetic function common in bacteria and phages, consisting of coordinately regulated clusters of genes with related functions. |
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| An infectious form of protein that may increase in number by converting related proteins to more prions. |
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| Viral DNA that inserts into a host genome. |
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| A small ring of DNA that carries accessory genes separate from those of a bacterial chromosome; also found in some eukaryotes, such as yeast. |
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| A bacterial plasmid carrying genes that confer resistance to certain antibiotics. |
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| A gene that codes for a protein, such as a repressor, that controls the transcription of another gene or group of genes. |
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| A protein that suppresses the transcription of a gene. |
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| An RNA virus that reproduces by transcribing its RNA into DNA and then inserting the DNA into a cellular chromosome; an important class of cancer-causing viruses. |
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| An enzyme encoded by some certain viruses (retroviruses) that uses RNA as a template for DNA synthesis. |
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| A phage that is capable of reproducing by either the lytic or lysogenic cycle. |
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| A DNA transfer process in which phages carry bacterial genes from one host cell to another. |
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| A change in genotype and phenotype due to the assimilation of external DNA by a cell. |
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| A transposable genetic element that moves within a genome by means of a DNA intermediate. |
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| A harmless variant or derivative of a pathogen that stimulates a host’s immune system to mount defenses against the pathogen. |
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| A plant pathogen composed of molecules of naked circular RNA only several hundred nucleotides long. |
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| A phage that reproduces only by a lytic cycle. |
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| The complex of DNA and proteins that makes up a eukaryotic chromosome. When the cell is not dividing, chromatin exists as a mass of very long, thin fibers that are not visible with a light microscope. |
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| Inheritance of traits transmitted by mechanisms not directly involving the nucleotide sequence. |
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| A small protein with a high proportion of positively charged amino acids that binds to the negatively charged DNA and plays a key role in its chromatin structure. |
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| A small, single-stranded RNA molecule that binds to a complementary sequence in mRNA molecules and directs associated proteins to degrade or prevent translation of the target mRNA. |
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| A collection of genes with similar or identical sequences, presumably of common origin. |
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| The basic, bead-like unit of DNA packaging in eukaryotes, consisting of a segment of DNA wound around a protein core composed of two copies of each of four types of histone. |
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| A gene found in viruses or as part of the normal genome that is involved in triggering cancerous characteristics. |
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| The guardian angel of the genome, a gene that is expressed when a cell’s DNA is damaged. Its product, p53 protein, functions as a transcription factor for several genes. |
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| A normal cellular gene corresponding to an oncogene; a gene with a potential to cause cancer but that requires some alteration to become an oncogene. |
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| A DNA segment very similar to a real gene but which does not yield a functional product; a gene that has become inactivated in a particular species because of mutation. |
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| A transposable element that moves within a genome by means of an RNA intermediate, a transcript of the retrotransposon DNA. |
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| A technique to silence the expression of selected genes in nonmammalian organisms. The method uses synthetic double-stranded RNA molecules matching the sequence of a particular gene to trigger the breakdown of the gene’s messenger RNA. |
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| A gene whose protein products inhibit cell division, thereby preventing uncontrolled cell growth (cancer). |
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