Food Biotechnology — page 21 of 34

3,375 terms

Food Biotechnology terms

  1. Molecular cloning The biological amplification of a specific DNA sequence through mitotic division of a host cell into which it has been transformed or transfected.
  2. Molecular genetics The study of the flow and regulation of genetic information between DNA, RNA, and protein molecules.
  3. molecular marker (muh-LEH-kyoo-ler ...) A biological molecule found in blood, other body fluids, or tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process, or of a…
  4. molecular pharming See: biopharming.
  5. Molecule The smallest particle of a substance that has all of the physical and chemical properties of that substance. Molecules are made up of one or more atoms.
  6. mono-unsaturates Oils containing mono-unsaturated fatty acids (i.e. where one -CH2-CH2- group in the hydrocarbon chain is replaced by -CH=CH-).
  7. Monoclonal antibodies Immunoglobulin molecules of single- epitope specificity that are secreted by a clone of B cells.
  8. monoclonal antibody (MAH-noh-KLOH-nul AN-tih-BAH-dee) A type of protein made in the laboratory that can locate and bind to substances in the body, including tumor cells.
  9. monocot Abbreviation for monocotyledon.
  10. monocotyledon (Abbreviation: monocot). A flowering plant whose embryo has one cotyledon. Examples are cereals (corn, wheat, rice etc.), banana, and lily.
  11. Monoculture The agricultural practice of cultivating crops consisting of genetically similar organisms.
  12. monoecious A plant species that has separate male and female flowers on the same plant (e.g. maize).
  13. monogastric animal A non-ruminant animal with a simple stomach.
  14. Monogenic Controlled by or associated with a single gene.
  15. monohybrid cross A cross between parents differing in only one trait or in which only one trait is being considered.
  16. monohybrid Heterozygous with respect to one gene.
  17. monokine Generic name for proteins that are released by monocytes to act on other cells involved in the immune response. A sub-class of cytokines.
  18. monolayer A single layer of cells growing on a surface.
  19. monolignols The building blocks of lignin that undergo polymerization.
  20. monomer (MAH-nuh-mer) A molecule that can join with other identical monomers to form a larger structure called a polymer.
  21. monomorphic Absence of variation for a marker, gene, chromosome, or genetically determined trait in a population.
  22. monophyletic A group of organisms that are assumed to have originated from the same ancestor.
  23. monoploid See: haploid.
  24. monosaccharide A simple sugar (e.g. glucose, fructose). See:.
  25. monosomic A form of aneuploidy in which a diploid organism lacks one member of a homologous chromosome pair.
  26. monozygotic twin One of a pair of twins derived from a single fertilized egg. Synonym: identical twin.
  27. morphogen A substance that stimulates the development of form or structure in an organism.
  28. morphogenesis The development, through growth and differentiation, of form and structure in an organism.
  29. morphogenic response The effect on the developmental history of a plant or its parts exposed to a given set of growth conditions or to a change in the environment.
  30. Morphology (mor-FAH-loh-jee) The science of the form and structure of organisms (plants, animals, and other forms of life).
  31. Mosaic A web browser popular before the introduction of Netscape and Internet Explorer.
  32. mother plant See: donor plant.
  33. MOTIF A conserved sequence of nucleotides or amino acids that can be associated with some function of, respectively, a length of DNA or a protein.
  34. Movable genetic element (See Transposon.)
  35. mRNA See Messenger RNA.
  36. MRU Abbreviation for minimum recognition units. See: dAb.
  37. mtDNA Abbreviation for mitochondrial DNA.
  38. multi-copy Describing plasmids which replicate to produce many copies per host bacterial cell.
  39. Multi-locus probe A probe that hybridizes to a number of different sites in the genome of an organism. (See Probe.)
  40. multigene family A set of genes (not necessarily mapping to the same genomic location) that are related in nucleotide sequence and/or that produce polypeptides with…
  41. multigenic Trait controlled by several genes, as opposed to monogenic. Synonym: polygenic.
  42. multimer A protein made up of more than one polypeptide chain.
  43. multiple alleles The existence of more than two alleles at a locus in a population.
  44. multiple arbitrary amplicon profiling A collective term for a number of related polymerase chain reaction techniques, all of which use arbitrary primers, and which generate a number of…
  45. multiple cloning site (Abbreviation: MCS). See: polylinker.
  46. multiple drop array (Abbreviation: MDA). See: microdroplet array.
  47. multiple ovulation and embryo transfer (Abbreviation: MOET). A technology by which a single female that usually produces only one or two offspring can produce a litter of offspring.
  48. multiplex 1. The simultaneous amplification of a number of amplicons in a single polymerase chain reaction, achieved by including more than one set of primers in…
  49. multivalent vaccine A vaccine designed to elicit an immune response either to more than one infectious agent or to several different antigenic determinants of a single agent.
  50. mutable gene A gene which has an unusually high rate of mutation.
  51. Mutagen (MYOO-tuh-jen) Anything that causes a mutation (a change in the DNA of a cell).
  52. mutagenesis Induction of heritable change(s) in the genetic constitution of a cell through alterations to its DNA.
  53. mutant An organism or an allele bearing a mutation. Usually applied when a characteristic change in phenotype can be recognized.
  54. Mutation (myoo-TAY-shun) Any change in the DNA of a cell. Mutations may be caused by mistakes during cell division, or they may be caused by exposure to…
  55. Mutation breeding Commonly used practices in plant breeding and other areas in which chemicals or radiation are applied to whole organisms, for example plants, or cells so…
  56. mutation pressure A constant mutation rate that adds mutant genes to a population; repeated occurrences of mutations in a population.
  57. Mutualism See Symbiosis.
  58. mycelium (pl.: mycelia) Threadlike filament making up the vegetative portion of thallus fungi.
  59. mycoprotein Fungal protein.
  60. mycorrhiza Fungi that form an association with, or have a symbiotic relationship with roots of more developed plants.
  61. Mycorrhizae Fungi that form symbiotic relationships with roots of more developed plants.
  62. mycotoxin Toxic substance of fungal origin, e.g. aflatoxin.
  63. myeloma (MY-eh-LOH-muh) Cancer that arises in plasma cells, a type of white blood cell.
  64. myo inositol See: inositol.
  65. naked bud A bud not protected by bud scales.
  66. narrow-host-range plasmid A plasmid that can replicate in one, or at most a few, different bacterial species.
  67. narrow-sense heritability The proportion of the phenotypic variance that is due to variation in breeding values; the proportion of the phenotypic variance that is due to additive…
  68. National Institutes of Health (NIH) A nonregulatory agency which has oversight of research activities that the agency funds.
  69. National Science Foundation (NSF) A nonregulatory agency which has oversight of biotechnology research activities that the agency funds.
  70. native protein The naturally occurring form of a protein.
  71. Natural selection The differential survival and reproduc- tion of organisms with genetic characteristics that enable them to better utilize environmental resources.
  72. necrosis (ne-KRO-sis) Refers to the death of living tissues.
  73. negative autogenous regulation Inhibition of the expression of a gene or set of co-ordinately regulated genes by the product of the gene or the product of one of the genes.
  74. negative control system A mechanism by which a regulatory protein is required to turn off gene expression.
  75. negative selection Selection against individuals possessing a certain character. Opposite: positive selection.
  76. negative self-regulation See: negative autogenous regulation.
  77. nematode Slender, unsegmented worms, often parasitic. Also known as eelworm, especially when phytoparasitic.
  78. neo-formation See: organogenesis.
  79. neomycin phosphotransferase II (Abbreviation: npt-II). An enzyme which detoxifies the antibiotic neomycin, used as a marker gene to select for successfully transformed cells in plant…
  80. neoplasm (NEE-oh-PLA-zum) An abnormal mass of tissue that results when cells divide more than they should or do not die when they should.
  81. neor Neomycin-resistance gene. See: antibiotic resistance marker gene, neomycin phosphotransferase II, selectable marker.
  82. neoteny The retention of juvenile body characters in the adult state, or the occurrence of adult characters in the juvenile state.
  83. net photosynthesis Photosynthetic activity minus respiratory activity, measured by the net absorption of carbon dioxide.
  84. neutral mutation A mutation that changes the nucleotide sequence of a gene, but has no observable effect on the fitness of the organism.
  85. neutral theory The theory that much of evolution has been primarily due to random drift of neutral mutations.
  86. neutrophil (NOO-tro-fil) A type of white blood cell.
  87. NFT Abbreviation for nutrient film technique.
  88. nick To break (or a break in) a phosphodiester bond in one of the strands of a double-stranded DNA molecule.
  89. Nick translation A procedure for making a DNA probe in which a DNA fragment is treated with DNase to produce single-stranded nicks, followed by incorporation of…
  90. nicked circle During the extraction of plasmid DNA from a bacterial cell, one strand of the DNA often becomes nicked.
  91. Nicked circle (relaxed circle) During extraction of plasmid DNA from the bacterial cell, one strand of the DNA becomes nicked.
  92. nif gene cluster Group of bacterial genes responsible for the biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen.
  93. NIH A federal agency in the U.S. that conducts biomedical research in its own laboratories; supports the research of non-Federal scientists in universities…
  94. nitrate The form of nitrogen that can be used directly by plants; a major component of inorganic fertilizers.
  95. nitrification The natural process in which nitrogen in plant and animal wastes is oxidized, first to nitrites and then to nitrates, through the action of soil-borne…
  96. Nitrocellulose A membrane used to immobilize DNA, RNA, or protein, which can then be probed with a labeled sequence or antibody.
  97. nitrogen assimilation The incorporation of nitrogen into the cells of living organisms.
  98. Nitrogen fixation The conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to biologically usable nitrates.
  99. Nitrogenous base The purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (cytosine, and thymine or uracil ) that are present in DNA and RNA.
  100. Nitrogenous bases The purines (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines (thymine, cytosine, and uracil) that comprise DNA and RNA molecules.

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