Dictionary Definition
polony n : another name for Bologna sausage
User Contributed Dictionary
References
Extensive Definition
Polony is a contraction of "polymerase colony," a
small colony of DNA.
Polonies are discrete clonal amplifications of a
single DNA molecule, grown in a gel matrix. This approach greatly
improves the signal-to-noise ratio. Polonies can be generated using
several techniques that include solid-phase PCR in polyacrylamide
gels. However, other earlier patented technologies, such as that
from Manteia (acquired by Solexa), which generate DNA on a solid
phase surface by bridge amplification - are generally referred to
as "Clusters". The terminology and distinction between 'polony' and
'cluster' have become confused recently. Growth of clonal copies of
DNA on bead surfaces remains to be generically named although some
also seek to name this technique as a "polony" method.
In one conceptually simple way to create
clusters, a solution containing DNA fragments is poured onto a
microscope slide dilute enough so that individual molecules are
separated. DNA
polymerase is added, which copies each fragment repeatedly,
creating millions of clusters, each of which contains only copies
of the original fragment of DNA. These "clusters"
are then used for various kinds of DNA research like
DNA
sequencing.
However, notwithstanding the erudition above,
'polony' also appears as a British slang term in Graham Greene's
book 'Brighton Rock', meaning a plump person, likened to a fat
sausage or 'Bologna'. It is also a type of finely processed pork
that comes in a sausage shaped wrapping (pork bolony
perhaps?).
References
- Polony technology guide
- Patent (1999) : WO00/18957
- Adessi C, Matton G, Ayala G, Turcatti G, Mermod J-J, Mayer P, Kawashima E. Solid phase DNA amplification: characterisation of primer attachment and amplification mechanisms. Nucleic Acids Res. (2000) 28:e87/1–e87/8.
- Fan Jb, Chee, MS, Gunderson, KL (2006) Highly parallel genomic assays. Nature Reviews of Genetics (8):632-44.
- Shendure, Porreca et al. Accurate multiplex polony sequencing of an evolved bacterial genome
- Zhang et al. Sequencing genomes from single cells by polymerase cloning.