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TermFinder - an online dictionary for students

plasmid

(genetic biology)

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  • Grammar: noun
    plural:
    plasmids
  • Definition: a circular double-stranded unit of DNA that replicates within a cell but is separate to the DNA in chromosomes
  • Example:
    1. Plasmids containing genes for resistance to the antibiotic vancomycin have been transferred between bacterial species.

    2. Plasmids carrying "cut and pasted" genes can be copied over and over again by re-introducing them into live bacterial cells.


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