ANALOGUES Genes (or their products) that are not of common ancestry, but which have equivalent functions.
ANTI-TERMINATION The protein-mediated prevention of the termination of RNA synthesis.
BISTABLE Having two steady states that are stable to small fluctuations.
COLIPHAGE A bacteriophage that infects Escherichia coli bacteria.
CONJUGATION The intercellular transfer of DNA that is mediated by pili, which are surface appendages that are encoded by certain bacterial plasmids and transposons.
HETERODUPLEX A DNA molecule that is formed by base pairing between strands that are derived from two DNA molecules that are not identical in sequence.
HOLLIDAY JUNCTION A point at which the strands of two double-stranded DNA molecules exchange partners, which occurs as an intermediate in genetic recombination.
HOMOLOGUES Genes (or their products) that are descended from a common ancestral gene.
INTASOME An assemblage of integrase molecules that are bound to their DNA substrate.
LAMBDOID Belonging to a group of phages that are related to 
.
LIGAND A molecule that binds non-covalently to another type of molecule.
LYSOGENIC BACTERIUM A bacterium that harbours phages in a latent form, from which it can be activated to produce infectious phage particles.
MONOPHYLETIC GROUP A group that contains all the organisms that are descended from a common evolutionary ancestor.
ORTHOLOGUE The form of a gene in one species that corresponds most directly to a similar gene in another species.
PROPHAGE The latent form of phage DNA that is present in lysogenic bacteria.
TEMPERATE PHAGE A phage that is able to form lysogenic bacteria.
TRANSFORMATION The uptake of exogenous DNA that becomes permanently incorporated into the genome of a cell.
TRANSLATIONAL FUSION An artificial construct in which the coding regions of two different proteins are juxtaposed so as to generate a single chimeric protein product if translated.
TRANSPOSITION The transposon-mediated movement of a segment of DNA.
TYPE 1 RESTRICTION ENZYME A bacterial enzyme that moves along DNA to cleave it far from its specific site of entry.