[Ontology-editors] forward and reverse transcription

[Karen Christie]

I don't think we (we being a subset of GOC editors) can arbitrarily decide 
that transcription is restricted to making an RNA molecule. I agree with 
Alex that we need to reflect the current usage of the research community 
(and that textbooks and the Oxford Dictionary that we used for many defs 
are not good sources for getting a comprehensive view of usage of a word).

Perhaps transcription is making a single stranded copy of nucleic acid, or 
perhaps as Midori suggested the possibility, there may not be a cohesive 
grouping term for these three things that are known to occur:

1. making RNA copy from DNA template
2. making RNA copy from RNA template
3. making DNA copy from RNA template

I think we should do some research and/or get input from the research 
community before making changes in this area.

-Karen


On Wed, 3 Dec 2008, Harold Drabkin wrote:

> Oops, Actually I meant to question #3.
>
>> 
>>> 3.  transcription of DNA from an RNA template
>> ?????? depends on how we define transcription. If it's making an RNA, no, 
>> because of a "reverse_of " a process not being an "instance_of"  or 
>> "part_of"  the  process that it's a reverse of
> ........
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