episomal
1
9.9
- adjective
- /ˌɛpɪˈsoʊməl/
- Specialized
- Researchers are investigating episomal vectors for gene therapy.
Examples
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The episomal DNA was crucial for the study.
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The gene therapy used an episomal vector to avoid altering the host's chromosomes.
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Some viruses can persist in a cell by maintaining their DNA in an episomal form.
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Researchers studied the episomal replication of the plasmid in bacterial cells.
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Researchers studied an episomal plasmid to explore gene expression outside the chromosomal DNA.
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The laboratory generated an episomal vector that could replicate independently of the cell's chromosomes.
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In gene therapy, episomal DNA can be an effective way to deliver therapeutic genes without integrating into the host genome.
Synonyms
1
9.1
Exists in a cell but outside its main DNA, for example small rings of DNA
Surface Forms
Morphology
episomal = episome (opaque) = epi + some + al
Although the word is formally built from a technical noun plus the adjective suffix -al, the base term 'episome' is specialized genetics vocabulary and not transparent to most learners.
Etymology
The word episomal comes from the Greek parts epi- meaning 'on' and soma meaning 'body', as in epidermis ('on the skin'). So episomal describes DNA that sits 'on' or apart from the cell's main chromosomes, which is why it means genetic material separate from chromosomal DNA.