| molecular cloning | <molecular biology> The biological amplification of a specific DNA sequence through mitotic division of a host cell into which it has been transformed or transfected. (09 Oct 1997) |
|---|---|
| complementary | Supplying a defect or helping to do so, making complete, accessory. Origin: L. Complere = to fill (18 Nov 1997) |
| complementary air | The maximum volume of air that can be inspired after reaching the end of a normal, quiet expiration. It is the sum of the tidal volume and the inspiratory reserve volume. Common abbreviation is ic. (12 Dec 1998) |
| complementary base pairing | <molecular biology> The pairing of complementary nucleotide bases (adenine and thymine, guanine and cytosine) to each other via hydrogen bonds from opposite strands of a double stranded nucleic acid (such as DNA or RNA), thereby holding the double-stranded nucleic acid together. (09 Oct 1997) |
| complementary base pairs | <molecular biology> The crucial property of DNA is that the two strands are complementary: Guanine and cytosine are complementary and pair up through their hydrogen bonds, as are adenine and thymine that only form two hydrogen bonds. (adenine and uracil in RNA). (18 Nov 1997) |
| complementary colours | Pairs of different colours of light that produce white light when combined. (05 Mar 2000) |
| complementary hypertrophy | Increase in size or expansion of part of an organ or tissue to fill the space left by the destruction of another portion of the same organ or tissue. (05 Mar 2000) |
| complementary medicine | A nonmainstream health care provided in addition or instead of standard medical practice. See: alternative medicine. (09 Oct 1997) |
| complementary role | A role in which the behaviour pattern conforms with the expectations and demands of other people. (05 Mar 2000) |
| complementary sequence | <molecular biology> Nucleicacid base sequences that can form a double-stranded structure bymatching base pairs, the complementary sequence to G-T-A-C is C-A-T-G. (09 Oct 1997) |
| complementary strand | See: replicative form. (05 Mar 2000) |
| complementary strands | <molecular biology> Two single strands of DNA in which the nucleotide sequence is such that they will bind as a result of base pairing throughout their full length. (05 Jan 1998) |
| complementary structures | Structures that define one another; e.g., the two strands of duplex DNA. (05 Mar 2000) |
| multiple cloning site | Region of a phage or plasmid vector that has been engineered to contain a series of restriction sites that are usually unique within the entire vector. This makes it particularly easy to insert or excise (subclone) DNA fragments. (18 Nov 1997) |
| positional cloning | Cloning a gene based simply on knowing its position in the genome without any idea of the function of that gene. Because this is the reverse of how things have been traditionally done, it has also been called reverse genetics. (12 Dec 1998) |