plasmids

Noun

plasmid (plural plasmids)

1. A loop of double-stranded DNA that is separate from — and replicates independently of — the chromosomes; such loops are most commonly found in bacteria, but they are also sometimes found in archaeans and eukaryotic cells, and they are used in genetic engineering as a vector for gene transfer.
   • These discussions have left a plethora of terms adrift: pangenes, bioblasts, plasmagenes, plastogenes, chondriogenes, cytogenes and proviruses, which have lost their original utility owing to the accretion of vague or contradictory connotations. At the risk of adding to this list, I propose plasmid...1952 October, J. Lederberg, “Cell genetics and hereditary symbiosis”, in Physiological Reviews, volume 32, number 4, page 403