Genomics Glossary for RNA Sequencing | Discovering the Genome

complementary strands (of DNA)	two single opposing stands of DNA that bind as a result of base pairing throughout their full length
database	an organized collection of information that can be accessed, managed, and updated
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)	the molecule that encodes the information for all the characteristics or traits about an organism
DNA Sequencing	“Reading” the DNA molecule to determine the sequence of the letters
flow cell	a special glass plate that is a little larger than a microscope slide, which is used to attach DNA or cDNA (made from RNA) samples to sequence them in next-generation sequencing machines
gene	a unit of DNA that controls specific traits
gene expression	the process by which instructions in our DNA are converted into functional products, such as proteins (read more about the basics of gene expression)
gene quantification	counting the number of reads we have assigned to each gene
genome	all the DNA in an organism
genomics	the study of a large number of genes and their interactions and/or of entire genomes (all of the DNA in an organism) to learn what kind of information is coded in these DNA sequences and how the DNA instructions are carried out
introns	the pieces of RNA that are removed from final messenger RNAs (these segments are not used to code for proteins)
macrophage	A type of white blood cell in the immune system. Macrophages are responsible for "eating" and digesting cancer cells, microbes, and foreign materials.
mutation	alterations in the DNA
neuron	a cell that carries messages between the brain and other parts of the body. It is also called a "nerve cell" and is the basic unit of the nervous system.
nucleotides	the basic structural units of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA. They are made up of a nucleoside coupled to a phosphate group
polymerase chain reaction (PCR)	A laboratory method using DNA polymerase [also in glossary] to make copies of DNA molecules.
primer	short nucleotide sequences that serve as a starting point for DNA synthesis. They are required for DNA replication because DNA polymerase can only add nucleotides to an existing DNA strand.
proteins	large complex molecules that perform many critical roles for an organism to function
reverse transcriptase	An enzyme that makes a cDNA copy of an RNA molecule. This enzyme was originally discovered in viruses.
ribonucleic acid (RNA)	a nucleic acid molecule that is implicated in various biological roles, including coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes.
RNA sequencing (RNA-seq)	a technique that reveals the presence and quantity of RNA in a biological sample at a given moment in time.
RNA splicing	The process of editing messenger RNA during transcription through removal of introns. Exons are joined together through a process called ligation.
sequencing	The process of determining the order of nucleotides that makes up DNA or RNA
sequencing adapters	Short pieces of DNA that attach a sequencing molecule to a sequencing flow cell via complementery base-pairing. These are required for a sequencing machine to recognize and read a molecule of DNA or cDNA.
sequencing reads	a list of short nucleotide sequences (100-200 letters, or base pairs (bp)
string	a sequence of one or more letters
transcription	the process in which information in a strand of DNA is decoded into a messenger RNA molecule