gene transfer

American  

noun

1. Biotechnology. the insertion of copies of a gene into living cells in order to induce synthesis of the gene's product: the desired gene may be microinjected directly into the cell or it may be inserted into the core of a virus by gene splicing and the virus allowed to infect the cell for replication of the gene in the cell's DNA.

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Example Sentences

"A bacterial CARD-NLR-like immune system controls the release of gene transfer agents," appears in Nature Microbiology.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2026

However, this collaborative effort between the John Innes Centre, the University of York, and the Rowland Institute at Harvard, suggests it has been repurposed to release GTA particles for gene transfer.

From Science Daily • Apr. 17, 2026

Horizontal gene transfer occurs when a gene moves from one species to another.

From Science Daily • Oct. 28, 2025

What this means is that evolution in E. coli, despite the serendipity of horizontal gene transfer, isn’t just a matter of chance.

From Salon • Oct. 14, 2024

Now, in bacteria — which are a type of prokaryote, or single-celled organism — a lot of evolution happens by horizontal gene transfer.

From Salon • Oct. 14, 2024