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Wed 22 Dec, 2010 02:30 am
setup = device?
Context:
Rather than supply the rodents with supplemental telomerase, the scientists devised a way to switch on the animals’ own dormant telomerase gene, known as TERT. They engineered the endogenous TERT gene to encode a fusion protein of TERT and the estrogen receptor. This fusion protein would only become activated with a special form of estrogen. With this setup, scientists could give the mice an estrogen-like drug at any time to stimulate the TERT-estrogen receptor fusion protein and make it active to maintain telomeres.
Against this backdrop, the researchers administered the estrogen drug to some of the mice via a time-release pellet inserted under the skin. Other animals, the controls, were given a pellet containing no active drug.
@oristarA,
Here, setup refers to the engineered endogenous TERT gene. Against this backdrop refers to the information given in the first paragraph, backdrop means the engineered TERT gene's reacton to any estrogen-like drugs.
@Setanta,
Setanta wrote:
Here, setup refers to the engineered endogenous TERT gene. Against this backdrop refers to the information given in the first paragraph, backdrop means the engineered TERT gene's reacton to any estrogen-like drugs.
Thank you Set.
But what does "against" mean here?
@oristarA,
It's just a usage you're not familiar with. In means, in this case, as contrasted with. So, for example, if you had a lot of actors wearing white clothing, on a stage with black curtains, the actors would stand out in high contrast to the black background. "Against this backdrop" is just a stock phrase. The usage of against in this case is not common, but it is not obscure, either.
idiomatic phrase that means: conditions in which something happens
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