[Ontology-editors] forward and reverse transcription

[Harold Drabkin]

I don't think there is anything arbitrary about this at all.

The sequence ontology defines a transcript as " An RNA synthesized on a 
DNA or RNA template by an RNA polymerase."

Shouldn't  our use of transcription  be consistent with the use of terms 
in SO. I The  making of a transcript is transcription. The templated 
making of a transcript is transcription;

The term reverse-transcription is the templated syntehesis of DNA from 
an RNA template.  It is fundamentally different. Transcription uses 
ribonucleotides wherease revere transcription uses 
deoxyribonucleotides.  Reverse transcription is not a type 
transcription.  It is a type of templated DNA synthesis not 
transcription.  The "reverse" is in terms of the central dogma reversal, 
not the reverse of  transcription itself.  A true reverse of 
transcription would be the disassembly of the RNA transcript into 
ribonucleotide triphosphates, I suppose in the presence DNA.

-h

Karen Christie wrote:
> 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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