episome

(noun)

A segment of DNA that can exist and replicate either autonomously in the cytoplasm or as part of achromosome, mainly found in bacteria.

Related Terms

Examples of episome in the following topics:

  • Introduction to Plasmids

    • This image shows a line drawing that compares the activity of non-integrating plasmids, on the top, with episomes, on the bottom, during cell division.
    • The lower half of the image shows a bacterium with its chromosomal DNA, but with an episome.
    • Next to this bacterium, we see the same bacterium, but after the episome has integrated into the chromosomal DNA and has become a part of it.
    • This second bacterium now divides into two bacteria identical to it, each with an episome integrated into it.

  • Other Diseases and Epstein-Barr Virus

    • Instead, the EBV genome circularizes, resides in the cell nucleus as an episome, and is copied by cellular DNA polymerase.