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| Abiotic stress |
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Outside (nonliving) factors which can cause harmful effects to plants, such as soil conditions, drought, extreme temperatures.
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| Abzyme |
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See Catalytic antibody.
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| Adaptive radiation |
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The evolution of new species or sub- species to fill unoccupied ecological niches.
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| Aerobe |
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A microorganism that grows in the presence of oxygen. See Anaerobe.
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| Agarose gel electrophore |
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A matrix composed of a highly purified form of agar that is used to separate larger DNA and RNA molecules ranging 20,000 nucleotides (See Electrophoresis.)
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| Alternative mRNA splicin |
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The inclusion or exclusion of different exons to form different mRNA transcripts. (See RNA.)
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| Amino acid |
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Any of 20 basic building blocks of proteins-- composed of a free amino (NH2) end, a free carboxyl (COOH) end, and a side group (R).
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| Ampicillin (beta-lactamas |
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An antibiotic derived from penicillin that prevents bacterial growth by interfering with cell wall synthesis.
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| Amplify |
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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 polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
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| Anaerobe |
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An organism that grows in the absence of oxygen. See Aerobe.
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| Anneal |
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The pairing of complementary DNA or RNA sequences, via hydrogen bonding, to form a double-stranded polynucleotide. Most often used to describe the binding of a short primer or probe.
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| Antibiotic |
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A class of natural and synthetic compounds that inhibit the growth of or kill other microorganisms. (See Antibiotic resistance, Bacteriocide, Bacteriostat.)
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| Antibiotic resistance |
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The ability of a microorganism to produce a protein that disables an antibiotic or prevents transport of the antibiotic into the cell.
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| Antibody |
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An immunoglobulin protein produced by B- lymphocytes of the immune system that binds to a specific antigen molecule. (See monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies.)
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| Anticodon |
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A nucleotide base triplet in a transfer RNA molecule that pairs with a complementary base triplet, or codon, in a messenger RNA molecule. See Codon, Messenger RNA, RNA.
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| Antigen |
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Any foreign substance, such as a virus, bacterium, or protein, that elicits an immune response by stimulating the production of antibodies. (See Antigenic determinant, antigenic switching.)
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| Antigenic determinant |
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A surface feature of a microorganism or macromolecule, such as a glycoprotein, that elicits an immune response.
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| Antigenic switching |
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The altering of a microorganism's surface antigens through genetic rearrangement, to elude detection by the host's immune system.
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| Antimicrobial agent |
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Any chemical or biological agent that harms the growth of microorganisms.
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| Anti-oncogene |
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See Recessive oncogene.
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| Antisense RNA |
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A complementary RNA sequence that binds to a naturally occurring (sense) mRNA molecule, thus blocking its translation. (See RNA.)
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| Asexual reproduction |
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Nonsexual means of reproduction which can include grafting and budding.
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| Autosome |
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A chromosome that is not involved in sex determination.
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