Definition of "transfection" [transfection]

• Infection of a cell with purified viral nucleic acid, resulting in subsequent replication of the virus in the cell. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The purified plasmid DNA is ready for duty in transfection experiments."
• "We show here that transient RNAi of endogenous or exogenous gene, which has been achieved after short-term transfection with the gene-targeting 21mer dsRNA (siRNA), 27mer dsRNA or shRNA-generating DNA vector, does not fail for 2-3 days after onset of apoptosis."
• "A number of methods are in use or under investigation for introducing DNA into cells (a process known as transfection) - using viruses, chemical agents or physical injection."