Biotechnology and Genetics terms starting with K

31 terms

  1. Kanamycin An antibiotic of the aminoglycoside family that poisons translation by binding to the ribosomes.
  2. kanr Kanamycin resistance gene. (See Selectable marker.)
  3. kappa chain One of two classes of antibody light chains. The other is a lambda chain.
  4. karyogamy The fusion of nuclei or nuclear material that occurs at fertilization during sexual reproduction.
  5. karyogram A diagrammatic representation of the full chromosome set of a species, highlighting characteristic physical features of individual chromosomes.
  6. karyokinesis The division of a cell nucleus. See: meiosis; mitosis.
  7. Karyotype All of the chromosomes in a cell or an individual organism, visible through a microsope during cell division.
  8. KB Abbreviation for kilobase (of single-stranded nucleic acid).
  9. kbp Abbreviation for kilobase pairs (of double-stranded DNA ).
  10. kcat The catalytic rate constant that characterizes an enzyme-catalysed reaction. The larger the kcat value, the faster the conversion of substrate into…
  11. kcat/Km The catalytic efficiency of an enzyme-catalysed reaction. The greater the value of kcat/Km, the more rapidly and efficiently the substrate is converted…
  12. Kd Abbreviation for dissociation constant. Describes the strength of binding (or affinity) between molecules and their ligands . See: avidity.
  13. kDa Abbreviation for kiloDalton. A unit of molecular mass equal to 1000 Dalton.
  14. Keratin An extremely tough protein substance found in hair, nails, skin, and cornea.
  15. Keratinocytes Cells that synthesize keratin and are found in the skin, hair, and nails. A fibrous protein is produced by keratinocytes and may be hard or soft.
  16. killer T cell T cells that kill cells displaying recognized antigens.
  17. kilobase (Abbreviation: kb). A length of single-stranded nucleic acid composed of 1000 bases.
  18. Kilobase (kb) Unit of length for DNA fragments equal to 1000 nucleotides.
  19. kilobase pairs (Abbreviation: kbp). A length of double-stranded DNA composed of 1000 base pairs.
  20. kinase An enzyme that catalyses the transfer of a phosphate group from a high energy state (as in ATP) to another molecule.
  21. kinetics Dynamic processes involving motion. Often used as a suffix to indicate studies involving movement or rates of reactions.
  22. kinetin A cytokinin.
  23. kinetochore Structure at the centromere of eukaryotic chromosomes. The kinetochore consists of inner and outer electron dense plates and a central zone containing…
  24. kinetosome Granular cytoplasmic structure which forms the base of a cilium or flagellum. Synonym: basal body.
  25. kinin A substance promoting cell division. In plant systems, the prefix cyto- has been added (cytokinin ) to distinguish it from kinin in animal systems.
  26. Klenow fragment A truncated form of DNA polymerase I from E. coli, used extensively for the production of synthetic DNA molecules as it retains polymerase and…
  27. Km A dissociation constant that characterizes the binding of an enzyme to a substrate.
  28. Knock In Replacement of a gene by a mutant version of the same gene using homologous recombination.
  29. Knock Out Inactivation of a gene by homologous recombination following transfection with a suitable DNA construct.
  30. Knock-out mouse A mouse that has had one or both copies of a specific gene deleted or inactivated.
  31. knockout A mutant individual, in which a single functional gene has been replaced by a non-functional form of the gene.