Biotechnology and Genetics — page 6 of 40

3,925 terms including subtopics (0 terms filed directly here)

Subtopics

Biotechnology and Genetics terms

  1. carrier molecule 1. A molecule that plays a role in moving electrons through the electron transport chain.
  2. Cartagena protocol See: biosafety protocol.
  3. Cartilage (KAR-tih-lij) A tough, flexible tissue that lines joints and gives structure to the nose, ears, larynx, and other parts of the body.
  4. casein A group of milk protein s.
  5. casein hydrolysate The mixture of amino acids and peptides produced by enzymatic or acid hydrolysis of casein.
  6. cassette See: construct.
  7. CAT box See: CAAT box.
  8. catabolic pathway A pathway by which an organic molecule is degraded in order to release energy for growth and other cellular processes.
  9. catabolism The breakdown of large molecules in living organisms, with the accompanying release of energy.
  10. catabolite activator protein (Abbreviation: CAP). A protein which combines with cyclic AMP. The cAMP-CAP complex binds to the promoter regions of E.
  11. catabolite repression Glucose-mediated reduction in the rates of transcription of genes that encode enzymes involved in catabolic pathways (e.g. the lac operon).
  12. catalase A metalloenzyme, present in both plants and animals, that catalyzes the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen.
  13. catalysis The process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by the addition of a substance that is not itself changed by the reaction (the catalyst ).
  14. catalyst A substance that promotes a chemical reaction by lowering the activation energy of a chemical reaction, but which itself remains unaltered at the end of…
  15. catalytic antibody An antibody selected for its ability to catalyse a chemical reaction by binding to and stabilizing the transition-state intermediate. Synonym: abzyme.
  16. Catalytic antibody (abzyme) An antibody selected for its ability to catalyze a chemical reaction by binding to and stabilizing the transition state intermediate.
  17. catalytic RNA See: ribozyme.
  18. Catalytic RNA (ribozyme) A natural or synthetic RNA molecule that cuts an RNA substrate.
  19. catalytic site The part of the surface of an enzyme molecule (usually only a small portion of the total) necessary for the catalytic process.
  20. Cation A positively charged ion.
  21. cauliflower mosaic virus (Abbreviation CaMV). A DNA virus affecting cauliflower and many other dicot species.
  22. cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter (Abbreviation CaMV 35S). A promoter sequence isolated from the ribosomal gene of the cauliflower mosaic virus
  23. caulogenesis Stem organogenesis; induction of shoot development from callus.
  24. Cavitation A process that occurs during the formation of the blastocyst and establishes the polarity of embryonic cells.
  25. CBD Abbreviation for Convention on Biological Diversity.
  26. ccc DNA Abbreviation for covalently-closed circle DNA . See: circularization.
  27. CD molecules Abbreviation for: cluster of differentiation molecules . Any group of surface antigens associated with a specific sub-population of T cells.
  28. cDNA DNA synthesized from an RNA template using reverse transcriptase.
  29. cDNA clone A double-stranded cDNA molecule propagated in a vector, and used as a probe in RFLP analyses, as template for the production of EST sequences, and for…
  30. cDNA cloning A method of cloning the coding sequence of a gene, starting with its mRNA transcript.
  31. cDNA library A library composed of complementary copies of cellular mRNAs. (See Library.)
  32. CDR Abbreviation for complementarity-determining regions.
  33. Cell The fundamental level of structural organization in complex organisms. Eukaryotic cells contain a nucleus (with chromosome s) and cytoplasm with the…
  34. Cell culture (SEL KUL-chur) The growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast, or human, plant, or animal cells in the laboratory.
  35. cell cycle (SEL SY-kul) The process a cell goes through each time it divides. The cell cycle consists of a series of steps during which the chromosomes and other…
  36. cell differentiation The process during which young, immature (unspecialized) cells take on individual characteristics and reach their mature (specialized) form and function.
  37. Cell division Formation of two or more daughter cells from a single parent cell. The nucleus divides first, followed by the formation of a cell membrane between the…
  38. cell fusion Formation in vitro of a single hybrid cell from the coalescence of two cells of different species origin.
  39. cell generation time The interval between the beginning of consecutive divisions of a cell, equivalent to the time that it takes for a population of single-celled organisms to…
  40. cell hybridization See: cell fusion.
  41. Cell line 1. A cell lineage that can be maintained in vitro. Significant genetic changes can occur during lengthy periods in culture, so that the genotype of…
  42. cell membrane See: plasmalemma.
  43. cell number The number of cells per unit volume of a culture.
  44. cell plate The precursor of the cell wall, formed at the beginning of cell division. The cell plate develops in the region of the equatorial plate and arises from…
  45. cell sap Water and dissolved substances, sugar, amino acids, waste substances, etc., in the plant cell vacuole.
  46. cell selection The process of selecting cells exhibiting specific traits within a group of genetically different cells.
  47. cell sorter See: fluorescence-activated cell sorting, flow cytometry.
  48. cell strain An in vitro culture initiated by asexual reproduction from a single cell. Such cell lines should represent a population of genetically homogenous cells.
  49. cell suspension Cells in culture in moving or shaking liquid medium, often used to describe suspension cultures of single cells and cell aggregates.
  50. Cell type A specific subset of cells within the body, defined by their appearance, location and function.
  51. cell wall A rigid external structure which surrounds plant cells. It is formed outside the plasmalemma and consists primarily of cellulose.
  52. Cell-based therapies Treatment in which stem cells are induced to differentiate into the specific cell type required to repair damaged or destroyed cells or tissues.
  53. cell-free protein synthesis See: in vitro translation.
  54. cell-free transcription See: in vitro transcription.
  55. cell-free translation See: in vitro translation.
  56. cell-mediated (cellular) immune response See: T-cell-mediated (cellular) immune response.
  57. cellular oncogene See: proto-oncogene.
  58. Cellular oncogene (proto-oncogene) A normal gene that when mutated or improperly expressed contributes to the development of cancer. (See Oncogene.)
  59. Cellular therapy A field of medicine that uses cells to repair tissues that have been damaged by human disease or to generate new tissues with desired functional…
  60. Cellulase Enzyme catalysing the breakdown of cellulose.
  61. Cellulose (SEL-yoo-lose) A building block of plant cells and fiber. Cellulose cannot be digested by people, and is used to add bulk to the diet.
  62. cellulose nitrate See: nitrocellulose.
  63. cellulosome A multi-protein aggregate present in some micro-organisms which degrade cellulose.
  64. Centers of origin Usually the location in the world where the oldest cultivation of a particular crop has been identified.
  65. centiMorgan (Abbreviation: cM). Unit of map distance. For small recombination fractions, cM and % recombination frequency are equivalent.
  66. Centimorgan (cM) A unit of measure of recombination frequency. One centimorgan is equal to a 1% chance that a marker at one genetic locus will be separated from a marker…
  67. Central dogma Francis Crick's seminal concept that in nature genetic information generally flows from DNA to RNA to protein.
  68. Central Line A central line is a flexible tube that is inserted near a patient's heart or into one of the large blood vessels near the heart.
  69. central mother cell A subsurface cell located in a plant apical meristem and characterized by a large vacuole.
  70. centre of origin The geographic locations where a particular domesticated plant species originated.
  71. Centrifugation Separating molecules by size or density using centrifugal forces generated by a spinning rotor.
  72. centrifuge A mechanical device which delivers the centrifugal forces necessary for centrifugation.
  73. centriole An organelle in many animal cells that appears to be involved in the formation of the spindle during mitosis.
  74. Centromere The central portion of the chromosome to which the spindle fibers attach during mitotic and meiotic division.
  75. centrosome A specialized region of a living cell, situated next to the nucleus, where microtubules are assembled and broken down during cell division.
  76. cephem-type antibiotic An antibiotic that shares the basic chemical structure of cephalosporin.
  77. Cerebrospinal fluid (seh-REE-broh-SPY-nul...) The fluid that flows in and around the hollow spaces of the brain and spinal cord, and between two of the meninges (the thin…
  78. chain terminator 1. See: stop codon. 2. In the Sanger method of DNA sequencing, refers to the labelled di-deoxynucleotide triphosphates which are added to disrupt DNA…
  79. Chakrabarty decision A landmark legal case in the U.S.A., in which it was held that the inventor of a new micro-organism whose invention otherwise met the legal requirements…
  80. chaperone A family of proteins that ensure the correct assembly and conformation of other polypeptides in vivo as they emerge from the ribosome, but are not…
  81. chaperonin See: chaperone.
  82. character See: trait.
  83. Characterization Description of the essential properties of an organism or system.
  84. Charcoal The black porous residue of partly burnt wood, bones, etc; a form of carbon. See: activated charcoal
  85. chelate A cation bound to an organic molecule through electron pair donation from nitrogen and/or oxygen atoms in its structure.
  86. chemical mutagen A chemical capable of inducing mutations in living organisms.
  87. chemically-defined medium When all of the chemical components of a culture medium are fully known and defined.
  88. chemiluminescence The emission of light during the course of a chemical reaction.
  89. chemostat A continuous and open culture in which growth rate and cell density are maintained constant by a fixed rate of input of a growth-limiting nutrient.
  90. chemotaxis The movement of a cell, or the whole or part of an organism, towards or away from an increasing concentration of a particular substance.
  91. Chemotherapy (KEE-moh-THAYR-uh-pee) Treatment with drugs that kill cancer cells.
  92. chiasma (ki-AZ-ma) An anatomy term for an X-shaped crossing (for example, of nerves or tendons).
  93. Chimera (or chimaera) 1. An organism whose cells are not all genotypically identical. This can occur as a result of: somatic mutation; grafting (see: graft…
  94. Chimera (pl. chimaera) An organism that contains cells or tissues with a different genotype. These can be mutated cells of the host organism or cells from a different organism…
  95. Chimeraplasty A method designed to create defined alterations in DNA sequence at a target locus, with potential both for gene therapy and for investigating gene…
  96. chimeric DNA See: chimera (2).
  97. chimeric gene An engineered gene, where a coding sequence is fused to promoter and/or other sequences derived from a different gene.
  98. chimeric protein See: fusion protein.
  99. chimeric selectable marker gene A gene that is constructed from parts of two or more different genes and allows the host cell to survive under conditions where it would otherwise die.
  100. chip See: micro-array.