Biology glossary

Look up the language used in the papers, then follow a term back to the research that uses it.

42 terms

Activation-induced release: A design that allows activated T cells to shed selected surface receptors.
Used in: A built-in pause for engineered T cells
Allelic dropout: Failure to detect one version of a genomic site, potentially making a cell appear to carry only the other version.
Used in: Reading DNA and RNA together
Alternative splicing: Processing a gene’s RNA into messages that include different combinations of segments.
Used in: Rewriting RNA in Timothy syndrome
Antisense oligonucleotide: A short nucleic-acid molecule designed to bind a selected RNA sequence.
Used in: Rewriting RNA in Timothy syndrome
Assembloid: A model formed by integrating separately generated three-dimensional tissues.
Used in: Building a human sensory relay
CAR T cell: An immune cell engineered to recognize a target.
Used in: Teaching T cells to recognize tumors.
Chemotaxis: Directed movement along a chemical concentration gradient.
Used in: Guiding immune cells into tumors
CRISPR activation: A method that increases the activity of selected genes without cutting them out.
Used in: Guiding immune cells into tumors
dCas13: A Cas13 protein engineered to bind RNA without cutting it.
Used in: Moving RNA inside neurons
Ectopic expression: Activity of a gene in a cell type or location where it is not normally active.
Used in: The genetics of orange cats
Endothelial cell: A cell lining blood vessels.
Used in: Reading cells, one at a time.
Eumelanin and pheomelanin: Pigments responsible for brown-black and red-yellow coloration, respectively.
Used in: The genetics of orange cats
GD2: The cell-surface molecule targeted in this study.
Used in: Teaching T cells to recognize tumors.
Genotype: The DNA sequence or variant combination carried by a cell or organism.
Used in: Reading DNA and RNA together
Germline variant: A DNA difference inherited through the egg or sperm, rather than acquired only within a tumor.
Used in: From cancer risk to mechanism
GPR183: A cell-surface receptor that can detect oxidized cholesterol molecules.
Used in: Guiding immune cells into tumors
GWAS: A genome-wide association study that links DNA variants to a trait statistically, without by itself establishing a biological mechanism.
Used in: From cancer risk to mechanism
In situ engineering: Changing cells where they already are in the body.
Used in: Engineering T cells in the body
Interneuron: A neuron that participates in local circuits.
Used in: Watching neurons find their place.
Interneuron migration: Movement of developing inhibitory neurons into the tissue where they will form circuits.
Used in: Rewriting RNA in Timothy syndrome
Lipid nanoparticle: A small lipid-based carrier used to deliver molecular cargo into cells.
Used in: Engineering T cells in the body
Local translation: Protein synthesis close to where an RNA message is located, including distant neuronal processes.
Used in: Moving RNA inside neurons
Melanocyte: A pigment-producing cell; its developmental precursor is called a melanoblast.
Used in: The genetics of orange cats
MPRA: A massively parallel reporter assay that compares the gene-regulatory activity of many DNA sequences using molecular barcodes.
Used in: From cancer risk to mechanism
Multiomics: Measurement of more than one molecular layer, such as DNA and RNA, in a coordinated experiment.
Used in: Reading DNA and RNA together
NaV1.7: A voltage-gated sodium channel encoded by SCN9A that contributes to sensory-neuron function.
Used in: Building a human sensory relay
Noncoding DNA: DNA that does not encode a protein; some noncoding sequences control when and where genes are expressed.
Used in: From cancer risk to mechanism
PET: An imaging method that detects a radioactive tracer in living tissue.
Used in: Engineering T cells in the body
Phase 1 trial: An early clinical study emphasizing feasibility, dose, and safety.
Used in: Teaching T cells to recognize tumors.
PKA: Protein kinase A, an enzyme involved in transmitting signals that affect gene expression and other cell functions.
Used in: The genetics of orange cats
Protease: An enzyme that cleaves proteins.
Used in: A built-in pause for engineered T cells
Reporter tag: An added molecular marker used to detect a biological process.
Used in: Engineering T cells in the body
RhoA: A small signaling protein that helps regulate cell shape, movement and other cellular processes.
Used in: From cancer risk to mechanism
Saltatory migration: Cell movement in intermittent forward steps.
Used in: Watching neurons find their place.
Single-cell RNA sequencing: Measuring gene expression in individual cells.
Used in: Reading cells, one at a time.
Spatial transcriptome: The distribution of RNA molecules across locations within a cell or tissue.
Used in: Moving RNA inside neurons
Spheroid: A three-dimensional cell cluster modeling selected tissue features.
Used in: Watching neurons find their place.
Synchrony: Coordinated activity across cells or regions; it does not by itself imply conscious perception.
Used in: Building a human sensory relay
Tonic signaling: Receptor activity that occurs without the intended antigen stimulus.
Used in: A built-in pause for engineered T cells
Transcriptome: The collection of RNA molecules produced in a cell; SDR-seq measures a selected panel rather than the entire transcriptome.
Used in: Reading DNA and RNA together Reading cells, one at a time.
X inactivation: The silencing of one X chromosome in many cells of an individual with two X chromosomes, creating a mosaic of cell lineages.
Used in: The genetics of orange cats
Zygosity: Whether the copies of a DNA site carry the same or different variants.
Used in: Reading DNA and RNA together