Biotechnology and Genetics — page 2 of 40

Biotechnology and Genetics terms

101. allosteric regulation A catalysis-regulating process in which the binding of a small effector molecule to one site on an enzyme affects the activity at another site.
102. allosteric site That part of an enzyme molecule where the non-covalent binding of an effector molecule can affect the enzyme's catalytic activity.
103. allosteric transition A reversible interaction of a small molecule with a protein molecule, resulting in a change in the shape of the protein and consequent alteration of the…
104. allotetraploid An allopolyploid having two different progenitor genomes.
105. allotype A classification of antibody molecules according to the antigenicity of the constant regions; a variation that is determined by a single allele.
106. allozygote A individual that is heterozygous for two different mutant allele s.
107. allozyme See: allosteric enzyme.
108. alpha globulin See: haptoglobin.
109. Alternative mRNA splicing The inclusion or exclusion of different exons to form different mRNA transcripts. (See RNA.)
110. Alternative splicing Different ways of combining a gene's exons to make variants of the complete protein
111. Alu sequences A highly repeated family of 300-bp long sequences dispersed throughout the human genome, so named because they are released by the digestion of genomic…
112. amber stop codon See: stop codon.
113. Amino acid (uh-MEE-noh A-sid) One of several molecules that join together to form proteins. There are 20 common amino acids found in proteins.
114. amino acids A group of 20 different kinds of small molecules that link together in long chains to form proteins.
115. aminoacyl site (Abbreviation: A-site). One of two sites on ribosomes to which the aminoacyl tRNA molecules can bind.
116. aminoacyl tRNA synthetase An enzyme that catalyses the attachment of an amino acid to its specific tRNA molecule.
117. amitosis A cell division (including nuclear division through constriction of the nucleus) that occurs without chromosome differentiation as in mitosis.
118. amniocentesis A procedure for obtaining foetal cells for prenatal diagnosis by sampling the amniotic fluid from a pregnant mammal.
119. Amnion The thin membrane that lines the fluid-filled sac in which the embryo develops in higher vertebrates, reptiles and birds.
120. Amniotic fluid Liquid contents of the amniotic sac of higher vertebrates, containing foetal, but not maternal cells.
121. amorph A mutation that abolishes gene function. Synonym: null mutation.
122. AMP Abbreviation for adenosine monophosphate.
123. amphidiploid A plant derived from doubling the chromosome number of an interspecific F1 hybrid. Naturally found hybrids of this sort are referred to as allopolyploid.
124. amphimixis True sexual reproduction involving the fusion of male and female gametes and the formation of a zygote.
125. ampicillin A penicillin-type antibiotic that prevents bacterial growth by interfering with synthesis of the cell wall.
126. Ampicillin (beta-lactamase) An antibiotic derived from penicillin that prevents bacterial growth by interfering with cell wall synthesis.
127. amplicon The product of a DNA amplification reaction. See: polymerase chain reaction.
128. Amplification 1. Creation of many copies of a segment of DNA by the polymerase chain reaction. 2. Treatment (e.g.
129. amplified fragment length polymorphism (Abbreviation: AFLP). A type of DNA marker, generated by the PCR amplification of restriction endonuclease treated DNA.
130. Amplify To increase the number of copies of a DNA sequence, in vivo by inserting into a cloning vector that replicates within a host cell, or in vitro by…
131. ampometric See: electrochemical sensor
132. amylase (AM-il-aze) An enzyme that helps the body digest starches.
133. amylolytic The capability of enzymatically degrading starch into sugars.
134. amylopectin A polysaccharide comprising highly branched chains of glucose residues. The water-insoluble portion of starch.
135. amylose A polysaccharide consisting of linear chains of 100-1000 glucose residues. The water-soluble portion of starch.
136. anabolic pathway A pathway by which a metabolite is synthesized; a biosynthetic pathway.
137. anabolism One of the two subcategories of metabolism, referring to the building up of complex organic molecules from simpler precursors.
138. Anaerobe An organism that grows in the absence of oxygen. See Aerobe.
139. Anaerobic An environment or condition in which molecular oxygen is not available for chemical, physical or biological processes.
140. anaerobic digestion Digestion of materials in the absence of oxygen. See: anaerobic respiration.
141. anaerobic respiration Respiration in which foodstuffs are partially oxidized, with the release of chemical energy, in a process not involving atmospheric oxygen.
142. analogous Features of organisms or molecules that are superficially or functionally similar but have evolved in a different way or contain different compounds.
143. anaphase The stage of mitosis or meiosis during which the daughter chromosomes migrate to opposite poles of the cell (toward the ends of the spindle ).
144. anchor gene A gene that has been positioned on both the physical map and the linkage map of a chromosome, and thereby allows their mutual alignment.
145. androgen (AN-droh-jen) A type of hormone that promotes the development and maintenance of male sex characteristics.
146. androgenesis Male parthenogenesis, i.e. the development of a haploid embryo from a male nucleus.
147. Anemia (a-NEE-mee-a) A condition in which the number of red blood cells is below normal.
148. Aneuploid (an you ployd') describes an abnormal (not normal) amount of DNA in cells.
149. angiogenesis (AN-jee-oh-JEN-eh-sis) Blood vessel formation. Tumor angiogenesis is the growth of new blood vessels needed for tumors to grow.
150. angiogenin One of the human angiogenic growth factors. In addition to stimulating (normal) blood vessel formation, angiogenin levels are correlated with placenta…
151. angiosperm A division of the plant kingdom that includes all flowering plants, i.e. vascular plants in which double fertilization occurs resulting in development of…
152. animal cell immobilization Entrapment of animal cells in some solid material in order to produce some natural product or genetically engineered protein.
153. animal cloning See: cloning.
154. animal model An animal with a disease either the same as or like a disease in humans. Animal models are used to study the development and progression of diseases and…
155. Anneal The pairing of complementary DNA or RNA sequences, via hydrogen bonding, to form a double-stranded polynucleotide.
156. annotation Adding pertinent information such as gene coded for, amino acid sequence, or other commentary to the database entry of raw sequence of DNA bases.
157. annual For FDM purposes, you are an annual filer if last year you filed an OGE Form 450 (or an OGE Form 450-A).
158. anonymous DNA marker A detectable by virtue of variation in its sequence. The function (if any) of the sequence is unknown.
159. antagonism An interaction between two organisms (e.g. moulds or bacteria) in which the growth of one is inhibited by the other. Opposite: synergism.
160. antagonist In medicine, a substance that stops the action or effect of another substance. For example, a drug that blocks the stimulating effect of estrogen on a…
161. Anterior visceral endoderm (AVE) Specific tissue structure arising in the early embryo that helps establish the anterior-posterior axis of the organism.
162. anther The upper part of a stamen, containing pollen sacs within which the pollen develops and matures.
163. anther culture The aseptic culture of immature anthers to generate haploid plants from microspores via androgenesis.
164. anthesis The period during which anthers bear mature and functional pollen.
165. anthocyanin A water-soluble blue, purple or red flavonoid pigments found in vacuoles of cells of certain plants.
166. anti-idiotype antibody An antibody, produced by an organism, which specifically binds to the binding site of an antibody developed by that organism against a foreign antigen.
167. Anti-oncogene See Recessive oncogene.
168. anti-terminator A protein which enables RNA polymerase to ignore certain transcriptional stop or termination signals and thereby produce longer than normal transcripts.
169. antiauxin A chemical that interferes with the auxin response, sometimes by the prevention of auxin transport. Some antiauxins may promote morphogenesis in vitro (e.
170. antibiosis The prevention of growth or development of an organism by a substance or another organism.
171. Antibiotic A drug used to treat infections caused by bacteria and other microorganisms. Atrial Fibrillation: A heart rhythm disorder (arrhythmia) that usually…
172. Antibiotic resistance The ability of a microorganism to produce a protein that disables an antibiotic or prevents transport of the antibiotic into the cell.
173. antibiotic resistance marker gene (Abbreviation: ARMG). Genes (usually of bacterial origin) used as selection markers in transgenesis, because their presence allows cell survival in the…
174. Antibody (AN-tee-BAH-dee) A type of protein made by plasma cells (a type of white blood cell) in response to an antigen (foreign substance).
175. Antibody (Immunoglobulin) A protein produced by the white blood cells (leukocytes) to battle foreign substances, such as bacteria, that enter the body.
176. antibody binding site The part of an antibody that binds to the antigenic determinant. See: complementarity-determining regions. Synonym: paratope.
177. antibody class The class to which an antibody belongs, depending on the type of heavy chain present.
178. antibody structure Describes the molecular architecture of an antibody, which consists of two identical "light" chains and two identical "heavy" chains and has two antigen…
179. antibody-mediated immune response The synthesis of antibodies by B cells in response to an encounter of the cells of the immune system with a foreign antigen.
180. Anticipation A situation that exists when claimed invention is not novel in view of the prior art.
181. anticlinal The orientation of cell wall or plane of cell division perpendicular to the surface. Opposite: periclinal.
182. anticoding strand The DNA strand used as template for transcription. The resulting mRNA is complementary in sequence to that of the anticoding strand.
183. Anticodon A nucleotide base triplet in a transfer RNA molecule that pairs with a complementary base triplet, or codon, in a messenger RNA molecule.
184. Antigen A substance that causes the immune system to make a specific immune response.
185. Antigen presenting cells (APCs) One of a variety of cells within the body that can process antigens and display them on their surface in a form recognizable by T cells.
186. Antigenic determinant A surface feature of a microorganism or macromolecule, such as a glycoprotein, that elicits an immune response.
187. Antigenic switching The altering of a microorganism's surface antigens through genetic rearrangement, to elude detection by the host's immune system.
188. antihaemophilic factor VIII See: antihaemophilic globulin.
189. antihaemophilic globulin (Abbreviation AHG). One of the blood clotting factors, a soluble protein that causes the fibrin matrix of a blood clot to form.
190. Antimicrobial agent Any chemical or biological agent that harms the growth of microorganisms.
191. antinutrient Compounds that inhibit the normal uptake or utilization of nutrients.
192. antioxidant (AN-tee-OK-sih-dent) A substance that protects cells from the damage caused by free radicals (unstable molecules made by the process of oxidation during…
193. antiparallel orientation The normal arrangement of the two strands of a double-stranded DNA molecule, and of other nucleic-acid duplexes (DNA -RNA, RNA -RNA ), in which the two…
194. Antisense The non-coding strand in double-stranded DNA. The antisense strand serves as the template for mRNA synthesis. See also cell
195. antisense DNA (AN-tee-sents …) Small pieces of DNA that can bind to specific molecules of RNA and block the cell's ability to use the RNA to make a protein.
196. antisense gene A gene that produces an mRNA complementary to the transcript of a normal gene (usually constructed by inverting the coding region relative to the promoter…
197. antisense RNA (AN-tee-sents …) Small pieces of RNA that can bind to specific molecules of RNA and block the cell's ability to use the RNA to make a protein.
198. antisense therapy The in vivo treatment of a genetic disease by blocking translation of a protein with a DNA or an RNA sequence that is complementary to a specific mRNA.
199. antiseptic Any substance that kills or inhibits the growth of disease-causing micro-organism (a micro-organism capable of causing sepsis), but is essentially…
200. antiserum The fluid portion of the blood of an immunized animal (after coagulation of the blood), which retains any antibodies.