User:Scmohr/Glossary

RSBL Glossary

Terms in this glossary are defined in the way that they are used by the Registry of Standard Biological Parts (RSBP). Many terms may have other definitions in a broader context, but the purpose here is to establish a controlled vocabulary so that RSBP users can read descriptions and instructions on the Registry with minimal ambiguity and confusion.

part – this word can be used in two ways: (1) in the strict (or “narrow”) sense, a biological component with a single well-defined function; (2) in a loose (or “broad”) sense, any item available from the Registry.

[COMMENTS. For purposes of general discussion, the word “part” refers to whatever component of a biological system that a synthetic biologist wants to consider . Thus the coding sequence for a protein is a “part,” but so is an inverter, and even the whole transcriptional machinery of a bacterial cell. This resembles the usage in other more familiar technologies, such as “auto parts,” which can be anything from a simple electrical fuse to sets of switches and controls, or even entire engines.]