User:Scmohr/Glossary

RSBL Glossary

(rev. 7/9/08) 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.]