loading...| Preferred Name | reagent role | |
| Synonyms |
reagent |
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| Definitions |
A role inhering in a biological or chemical entity that is intended to be applied in a scientific technique to participate (or have molecular components that participate) in a chemical reaction that facilitates the generation of data about some entity distinct from the bearer, or the generation of some specified material output distinct from the bearer. (copied from ReO) Reagents are distinguished from instruments or devices that also participate in scientific techniques by the fact that reagents are chemical or biological in nature and necessarily participate in or have parts that participate in some chemical interaction or reaction during their intended participation in some technique. By contrast, instruments do not participate in a chemical reaction/interaction during the technique. Reagents are distinguished from study subjects/evaluants in that study subjects and evaluants are that about which conclusions are drawn and knowledge is sought in an investigation - while reagents, by definition, are not. It should be noted, however, that reagent and study subject/evaluant roles can be borne by instances of the same type of material entity - but a given instance will realize only one of these roles in the execution of a given assay or technique. For example, taq polymerase can bear a reagent role or an evaluant role. In a DNA sequencing assay aimed at generating sequence data about some plasmid, the reagent role of the taq polymerase is realized. In an assay to evaluate the quality of the taq polymerase itself, the evaluant/study subject role of the taq is realized, but not the reagent role since the taq is the subject about which data is generated. In regard to the statement that reagents are 'distinct' from the specified outputs of a technique, note that a reagent may be incorporated into a material output of a technique, as long as the IDENTITY of this output is distinct from that of the bearer of the reagent role. For example, dNTPs input into a PCR are reagents that become part of the material output of this technique, but this output has a new identity (ie that of a 'nucleic acid molecule') that is distinct from the identity of the dNTPs that comprise it. Similarly, a biotin molecule input into a cell labeling technique are reagents that become part of the specified output, but the identity of the output is that of some modified cell specimen which shares identity with the input unmodified cell specimen, and not with the biotin label. Thus, we see that an important criteria of 'reagent-ness' is that it is a facilitator, and not the primary focus of an investigation or material processing technique (ie not the specified subject/evaluant about which knowledge is sought, or the specified output material of the technique). |
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| ID |
http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/OBI_0000086 |
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| comment |
(copied from ReO) Reagents are distinguished from instruments or devices that also participate in scientific techniques by the fact that reagents are chemical or biological in nature and necessarily participate in or have parts that participate in some chemical interaction or reaction during their intended participation in some technique. By contrast, instruments do not participate in a chemical reaction/interaction during the technique. Reagents are distinguished from study subjects/evaluants in that study subjects and evaluants are that about which conclusions are drawn and knowledge is sought in an investigation - while reagents, by definition, are not. It should be noted, however, that reagent and study subject/evaluant roles can be borne by instances of the same type of material entity - but a given instance will realize only one of these roles in the execution of a given assay or technique. For example, taq polymerase can bear a reagent role or an evaluant role. In a DNA sequencing assay aimed at generating sequence data about some plasmid, the reagent role of the taq polymerase is realized. In an assay to evaluate the quality of the taq polymerase itself, the evaluant/study subject role of the taq is realized, but not the reagent role since the taq is the subject about which data is generated. In regard to the statement that reagents are 'distinct' from the specified outputs of a technique, note that a reagent may be incorporated into a material output of a technique, as long as the IDENTITY of this output is distinct from that of the bearer of the reagent role. For example, dNTPs input into a PCR are reagents that become part of the material output of this technique, but this output has a new identity (ie that of a 'nucleic acid molecule') that is distinct from the identity of the dNTPs that comprise it. Similarly, a biotin molecule input into a cell labeling technique are reagents that become part of the specified output, but the identity of the output is that of some modified cell specimen which shares identity with the input unmodified cell specimen, and not with the biotin label. Thus, we see that an important criteria of 'reagent-ness' is that it is a facilitator, and not the primary focus of an investigation or material processing technique (ie not the specified subject/evaluant about which knowledge is sought, or the specified output material of the technique). |
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| alternative term |
reagent |
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| creator |
PERSON:Matthew Brush |
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| curator note |
Feb 10, 2009. changes after discussion at OBI Consortium Workshop Feb 2-6, 2009. accepted as core term. May 28 2013. Updated definition taken from ReO based on discussions initiated in Philly 2011 workshop. Former defnition described a narrower view of reagents in chemistry that restricts bearers of the role to be chemical entities ("a role played by a molecular entity used to produce a chemical reaction to detect, measure, or produce other substances"). Updated definition allows for broader view of reagents in the domain of biomedical research to include larger materials that have parts that participate chemically in a molecular reaction or interaction. |
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| definition |
A role inhering in a biological or chemical entity that is intended to be applied in a scientific technique to participate (or have molecular components that participate) in a chemical reaction that facilitates the generation of data about some entity distinct from the bearer, or the generation of some specified material output distinct from the bearer. |
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| definition source |
PERSON:Matthew Brush |
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| editor preferred term |
reagent role |
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| example of usage |
Buffer, dye, a catalyst, a solvating agent. |
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| has curation status | ||
| label |
reagent role |
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| prefixIRI |
OBI:0000086 |
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| prefLabel |
reagent role |
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| term editor |
PERSON:Matthew Brush |
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| subClassOf |