Northern blot

American  

noun

1. Biology, Medicine/Medical.  a procedure for studying the activity of a specific gene, as in testing for a hereditary defect: RNA fragments in an extract of a cell population or a tissue are separated by gel electrophoresis, transferred to a filter, and then hybridized with labeled DNA or RNA derived from a laboratory-engineered copy of the gene in order to identify the size and abundance of the RNA expressed by that gene.

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Etymology

Origin of Northern blot

First recorded in 1977; originally as a facetious counterpart to Southern blot

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How does northern-blot compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• Northern blot vs. Southern blot