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Definition

noun

A tagging technique in molecular biology in which DNA Polymerase I is used to replace some of the nucleotides of a DNA sequence with their labeled analogues, creating a tagged DNA sequence which can be used as a probe in fluorescent in situ hybridization or blotting techniques.

Supplement

Nick translation is the most commonly used method for labeling probes for in situ hybridization. It derived its name from the single-stranded nicks resulting from the DNA treated with DNAse, and the nick has "translated" some distance depending on the processivity of the polymerase.