Food Biotechnology — page 23 of 34

3,375 terms

Food Biotechnology terms

  1. Organic agriculture A concept and practice of agricultural production that focuses on production without the use of synthetic pesticides.
  2. organic complex A chemically undefined compound added to nutrient media to stimulate growth, e.g. coconut milk; malt extract; yeast extract; casein hydrolysate.
  3. organic evolution See: evolution.
  4. organism A living thing, such as an animal, a plant, a bacterium, or a fungus.
  5. organized growth The development under tissue culture conditions of organized explants (meristem tips or shoot tips, floral buds or organ primordia).
  6. organized tissue Composed of normally differentiated cells.
  7. organogenesis The initiation of adventitious or de novo shoots or roots from callus, meristem or suspension cultures. See: micropropagation; regeneration.
  8. organoid An organ-like structure produced in culture.
  9. organoleptic Having an effect on one of the organs of sense, such as taste or smell.
  10. Origin of replication The nucleotide sequence at which DNA synthesis is initiated.
  11. orphan gene A gene or DNA sequence whose function is not known.
  12. orphan receptor A receptor for which a cellular function or ligand has yet to be identified.
  13. ortet The plant from which a clone is obtained. Synonym: donor plant.
  14. orthologous Homologous genes/gene products that have evolved divergently between species; many rice genes have orthologues in other cereal genomes, because of the…
  15. OSHA See Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
  16. osmosis Diffusion of water across a semi-permeable membrane from zones of low solute concentration to zones of higher solute concentration.
  17. osmotic potential Change in the energy state of solvent brought about by dissolving a substance in the solvent - water in the biological sciences.
  18. osmoticum A chemical agent (e.g. polyethylene glycol, mannitol, glucose or sucrose) employed to maintain the osmotic potential of a nutrient medium equivalent to…
  19. outbreeding A mating system characterized by the inter-breeding of genetically unrelated or dissimilar individuals.
  20. Outflow The volume of growing cells that is removed from a bioreactor during a continuous fermentation process.
  21. ovary (OH-vuh-ree) One of a pair of female reproductive glands in which the ova, or eggs, are formed.
  22. overdominance Where heterozygote performance is superior to that of either parental genotype.
  23. Overhang See: extension.
  24. overlapping reading frame Start codons in different reading frames generate different polypeptides from the same DNA sequence.
  25. Overlapping reading frames Start codons in different reading frames generate different polypeptides from the same DNA sequence. (See Reading frame.)
  26. ovulation (ov-yoo-LA-shun) The release of an egg from an ovary during the menstrual cycle.
  27. Ovule The part of the seed plant's reproductive organs that comprises the nucellus, the embryo sac and the integuments.
  28. Ovum A female gamete.
  29. ovum pickup (Abbreviation: OPU). The non-surgical collection of ova from a female.
  30. oxidative phosphorylation The enzymatic addition of a phosphate to ADP to make ATP, coupled to electron transport from a substrate to molecular oxygen.
  31. oxygen-electrode-based sensor Sensor in which an oxygen electrode, which measures the amount of oxygen in a solution, is coated with a biological material such as an enzyme which…
  32. p Denotes the shorter of the two chromosome arms, e.g. human 14p is the short arm of human chromosome 14.
  33. P element A Drosophila transposon.
  34. P-site Abbreviation for peptidyl-tRNA binding site.
  35. P1, P2 Generational symbols for the two parents of a given individual.
  36. p53 gene A tumor suppressor gene that normally inhibits the growth of tumors. This gene is altered in many types of cancer.
  37. pachynema A mid-prophase stage in the first meiotic division, between zygonema and diplonema. Chromosomes appear as long, paired threads.
  38. pachytene (adj.) See: pachynema.
  39. packaging cell line A cell line designed to produce viral particles that do not contain nucleic acid.
  40. packed cell volume (Abbreviation: PCV). The proportion of a cell culture volume that is occupied by cells.
  41. PAGE A single image of the equivalent of one piece of paper. One or several pages make up a Document.
  42. pair-rule gene A gene that influences the formation of body segments in Drosophila.
  43. pairing The pairing of homologous chromosomes during the prophase of the first meiotic division.
  44. palaeontology The study of the fossil record of past geological periods and of the phylogenetic relationships between extinct and contemporary plant and animal species.
  45. Paleontology The study of the fossil record of past geo- logical periods and of the phylogenetic relationships between ancient and contemporary plant and animal…
  46. Palindrome See Palindromic sequence.
  47. Palindromic sequence A DNA locus whose 5'-to-3' sequence is identical on each DNA strand. The sequence is the same when one strand is read left to right and the other strand…
  48. palisade parenchyma Elongated cells found just beneath the upper epidermis of leaves, typically rich in chloroplasts.
  49. pAMP Ampicillin-resistant plasmid developed for this laboratory course. (See Plasmid.)
  50. panicle An inflorescence, the main axis of which is branched; the branches bear loose racemose flower clusters.
  51. panicle culture Aseptic culture of immature panicle explants to induce microspore germination and development.
  52. panmictic population A population in which mating occurs at random.
  53. panmixis Random mating in a population.
  54. paper raft technique See: nurse culture.
  55. PAR Performance and Accountability Report -- see Annual Reports for more
  56. par gene One of a class of genes required for faithful plasmid segregation at cell division.
  57. paracentric inversion A chromosomal rearrangement in which a segment of chromosome, excluding the centromere, is rotated.
  58. paraffin [wax] A translucent, white, solid hydrocarbon with a low melting point. One use is as an embedding medium to support tissue for sectioning for light microscopy…
  59. Parafilmä A stretchable film based on paraffin wax; used to seal tubes and Petri dishes. Parafilmä is a proprietary name which is incorrectly applied colloquially…
  60. parahormone A substance with hormone-like properties that is not a secretory product (e.g. ethylene; carbon dioxide).
  61. parallel evolution The development of different organisms along similar evolutionary paths due to similar selection pressures acting on them.
  62. paralogous Homologous genes/gene products that have duplicated and evolved divergently within a species. e.g. beta- and gamma-globulin genes
  63. parameter A value or measurement that varies with circumstances, and is used as a reference to quantify a situation or a process.
  64. parasexual cycle A sexual cycle involving changes in chromosome number but differing in time and place from the usual sexual cycle; occurring in those fungi in which the…
  65. parasexual hybridization See: somatic hybridization.
  66. parasite An animal or plant that gets nutrients by living on or in an organism of another species.
  67. Parasitism The closee association of two or more dissimilar organisms where the association is harmful to at least one. See Commensalism, Parasitism, Symbiosis.
  68. parasporal crystal Tightly packaged insect pro-toxin molecules that are produced by strains of Bacillus thuringiensis during the formation of resting spores.
  69. paratope Synonym for antibody binding site.
  70. parenchyma (pah-REN-kih-ma) The essential or functional elements of an organ.
  71. parenchymatous (adj.) See: parenchyma.
  72. parthenocarpy The development of fruit without fertilization.
  73. Parthenogenesis Production of an embryo from an unfertilized egg.
  74. partial digest Incomplete reaction of a restriction enzyme with DNA, such that only a proportion of the target sites are cleaved.
  75. particle radiation High energy nuclear emissions, used as physical agents of mutagenesis. Three major types typically used: alpha (☐) (positively charged), beta (☐)…
  76. parts per million (Abbreviation: ppm). Unit of concentration: 1ppm = 1mg dissolved matter per litre of solution.
  77. parturition The process of giving birth.
  78. Passage The transfer or transplantation of cells from one culture medium to another.
  79. passage number The number of times cells in culture have been sub-cultured.
  80. passage time Time interval between successive sub-cultures.
  81. passive immunity 1. Natural acquisition of antibodies by the foetus or neonate (newborn) from the mother. 2.
  82. pat gene A gene obtained from Streptomyces sp. encoding resistance to glufosinate-ammonium containing herbicides. (These inhibit plant synthesis of glutamine).
  83. patent A grant to an inventor of the right to exclude others, for a limited time, from making, using, or selling his invention in the United States.
  84. paternal Pertaining to the father.
  85. Pathogen Bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi can cause disease.
  86. pathogen-free Uncontaminated with pathogen.
  87. pathogenesis related protein (Abbreviation: PR protein ). One of a group of proteins that are characteristically highly expressed as part of a plant's response to pathogen attack.
  88. pathotoxin Substance secreted by certain pathogens, in order to attack the host tissue. Some pathotoxins are also toxic to non-hosts, especially animals or humans.
  89. pathovar Strain of a plant-attacking bacterium or fungus that can be differentiated from others by their interaction with specific s.
  90. PBR Abbreviation for plant breeders' rights.
  91. pBR322 A derivation of ColE1, one of the first plasmid vectors widely used. (See Plasmid.)
  92. PCR A laboratory method used to make many copies of a specific DNA sequence. Also called polymerase chain reaction.
  93. PCR-RFLP AlteRNA tive term for cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence.
  94. PCV Abbreviation for packed cell volume.
  95. pectin A group of naturally occurring complex polysaccharides, containing galacturonic acid, found in plant cell wall s, where their function is to cement cells…
  96. pectinase Enzyme catalysing the hydrolysis of pectin. Used in conjunction with cellulase to solubilize plant cell walls.
  97. pedicel Stalk or stem of the individual flowers of an inflorescence.
  98. pedigree A record of one's ancestors, offspring, siblings, and their offspring that may be used to determine the pattern of certain genes or disease inheritance…
  99. peduncle Stalk or stem of a flower that is born singly; the main stem of an inflorescence.
  100. PEG Abbreviation for polyethylene glycol.

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