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Article: Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L). This glossary of cellular and molecular biology is a list of definitions of terms and concepts commonly used in the study of cell biology, molecular biology, and related disciplines, including genetics, biochemistry, and microbiology. It is split across two art... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - Summary | 184 | 924 | null |
Section: 0–9. 3' untranslated region (3'-UTR) Also three-prime untranslated region, 3' non-translated region (3'-NTR), and trailer sequence. 3'-end Also three-prime end. One of two ends of a single linear strand of DNA or RNA, specifically the end at which the chain of nucleotides terminates at the third carbon atom in... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - 0–9 | 335 | 1,337 | null |
Mature mRNAs can also be decapped. 5' untranslated region (5'-UTR) Also five-prime untranslated region, 5' non-translated region (5'-NTR), and leader sequence. 5-bromodeoxyuridine See bromodeoxyuridine. 5'-end Also five-prime end. One of two ends of a single linear strand of DNA or RNA, specifically the end at which th... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - 0–9 | 213 | 764 | null |
Section: A. acentric (of a linear chromosome or chromosome fragment) Having no centromere. acetyl coenzyme A (acetyl-CoA) A biochemical compound consisting of a coenzyme A molecule to which an acetyl group (–COCH3) is attached via a high-energy thioester bond. Acetylation of coenzyme A occurs as part of the metabolism ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 323 | 1,330 | null |
acrocentric (of a linear chromosome or chromosome fragment) Having a centromere positioned very close to one end of the chromosome, as opposed to at the end or in the middle. action potential The local change in voltage that occurs when the membrane potential of a specific location along the membrane of a cell rapidly ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 345 | 1,806 | null |
acylation The covalent attachment of any acyl group (e.g. acetyl or benzoyl) to a chemical compound, protein, or other biomolecule via the substitution of the acyl group for a hydrogen atom, either spontaneously or by enzymatic catalysis. Acetylation is a type of acylation. adenine (A) A purine nucleobase used as one o... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 340 | 1,353 | null |
The A-form helix has a right-handed twist with 11 base pairs per full turn, only slightly more compact than B-DNA, but its bases are sharply tilted with respect to the helical axis. It is often favored in dehydrated conditions and within sequences of consecutive purine nucleotides (e.g. GAAGGGGA); it is also the primar... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 321 | 1,459 | null |
In humans, the X chromosome and the Y chromosome are sex chromosomes. alpha helix (α-helix) A common structural motif in the secondary structures of proteins consisting of a right-handed helix conformation resulting from hydrogen bonding between amino acid residues which are not immediately adjacent to each other. alte... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 337 | 1,653 | null |
amino terminus See N-terminus. aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase Also tRNA-ligase. Any of a set of enzymes which catalyze the transesterification reaction that results in the attachment of a specific amino acid (or a precursor) to one of its cognate transfer RNA molecules, forming an aminoacyl-tRNA. Each of the 20 different am... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 341 | 1,425 | null |
by spontaneous duplications) or artificially (e.g. by PCR), and especially implying many repeated replication events resulting in thousands, millions, or billions of copies of the target sequence, which is then said to be amplified. anaphase The stage of mitosis and meiosis that occurs after metaphase and before teloph... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 299 | 1,373 | null |
annealing The hybridization of two single-stranded nucleic acid molecules containing complementary sequences, creating a double-stranded molecule with paired nucleobases. The term is used in particular to describe steps in laboratory techniques such as polymerase chain reaction, where double-stranded DNA molecules are ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 330 | 1,660 | null |
Compare oncogene. antiparallel The contrasting orientations of the two strands of a double-stranded nucleic acid (and more generally any pair of biopolymers) which are parallel to each other but with opposite directionality. For example, the two complementary strands of a DNA molecule run side-by-side but in opposite d... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 343 | 1,545 | null |
a discrete, membrane-bound organelle enclosing the cell's genomic DNA, used especially of cells which normally have a nucleus but from which the nucleus has been removed (e.g. in artificial nuclear transfer), and also of specialized cell types that develop without nuclei despite that the cells of other tissues comprisi... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 342 | 1,703 | null |
without relying on an existing template strand. assimilatory process Any process by which chemical compounds containing biologically relevant elements (e.g. carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, selenium, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, molybdenum, etc.) are uptaken by microorganisms and incorpora... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 328 | 1,514 | null |
The resulting compound chromosome effectively carries two or more doses of all genes and sequences included on the X, yet functions in all other respects as a single chromosome, meaning that haploid 'XX' gametes (rather than the ordinary 'X' gametes) will be produced by meiosis and inherited by progeny. In mechanisms s... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - A | 338 | 1,503 | null |
Section: B. B chromosome Any supernumerary nuclear DNA molecule which is not a duplicate of nor homologous to any of the standard complement of normal "A" chromosomes comprising a genome. Typically very small and devoid of structural genes, B chromosomes are by definition not necessary for life. Though they occur natur... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - B | 338 | 1,761 | null |
Baseline expression may also refer to the expected or historical measure of expression for a gene. basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) A computer algorithm widely used in bioinformatics for aligning and comparing primary biological sequence information such as the nucleotide sequences of DNA or RNA or the amino a... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - B | 321 | 1,659 | null |
The metabolic pathway by which fatty acid molecules are broken down into simpler molecules, generating acetyl-CoA in the process. This occurs via a series of enzyme-catalyzed reactions which oxidize the beta carbon of the fatty acid chain and ultimately convert it into a carbonyl group, which is then susceptible to nuc... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - B | 347 | 1,688 | null |
Binary fission is preceded by replication of the parent cell's DNA, rapid growth of the cell wall, and various other processes which ensure even distribution of the cell's contents between the two progeny, but is generally a quicker and simpler process than the mitosis and cytokinesis that occur in eukaryotes. binding ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - B | 322 | 1,617 | null |
Cells residing within biofilms can easily share nutrients and communicate, and subpopulations of cells may differentiate to perform specialized functions supporting the whole biofilm. biomarker A measurable indicator of some biological state, especially a compound or biomolecule whose presence or absence in a biologica... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - B | 335 | 1,790 | null |
biomolecule Also biological molecule. Any molecule or chemical compound involved in or essential to one or more biological processes within a biological system, especially large macromolecules such as proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates, but also broadly inclusive of smaller molecules such as vitamins, h... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - B | 307 | 1,401 | null |
The transferred molecules are then visualized by colorant staining, by autoradiography, or by probing for specific sequences or epitopes with hybridization probes or antibodies conjugated to chemiluminescent reporters. blunt end A term used to describe the end of a double-stranded DNA molecule where the terminal nucleo... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - B | 273 | 1,199 | null |
Section: C. cadastral gene A regulatory gene that restricts the expression of other genes to specific tissues or body parts in an organism, typically by producing gene products which variably inhibit or permit transcription of the other genes in different cell types. The term is used most commonly in plant genetics. ca... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 328 | 1,552 | null |
Carbohydrates include individual monosaccharides as well as larger polymeric oligosaccharides and polysaccharides, in which multiple monosaccharide monomers are joined by glycosidic bonds. Abundant and ubiquitous, these compounds are involved in numerous essential biochemical processes and pathways; they are widely use... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 285 | 1,298 | null |
A protein which is included in an assay at high concentrations in order to prevent non-specific interactions of the assay's reagents with vessel surfaces, sample components, or other reagents. For example, in many blotting techniques, albumin is intentionally allowed to bind non-specifically to the blotted membrane pri... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 328 | 1,645 | null |
catalyst Any chemical species or substance whose presence increases the reaction rate of one or more particular chemical reactions but which is itself unchanged by the reaction, being neither a reactant nor a product of the reaction. Catalysts often need only be present in very low concentrations relative to the reacta... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 291 | 1,562 | null |
Cells vary widely in size, shape, and substructure, particularly between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The typical cell is microscopic, averaging 1 to 20 micrometres (μm) in diameter, though they may range in size from 0.1 μm to more than 20 centimetres in diameter for the eggs laid by some birds and reptiles, which are ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 343 | 1,600 | null |
It is generally achieved by using a manual or digital cytometer to count the number of cells present in small fractions of a sample, and then extrapolating to estimate the total number present in the entire sample. The resulting quantification is typically expressed as a density or concentration, i.e. the number of cel... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 285 | 1,478 | null |
cell cycle cell division The separation of an individual parent cell into two daughter cells by any process. Cell division generally occurs by a complex, carefully structured sequence of events involving the reorganization of the parent cell's internal contents, the physical cleavage of the cytoplasm and plasma membran... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 314 | 1,556 | null |
cell membrane Also plasma membrane, cytoplasmic membrane, and plasmalemma. The selectively permeable membrane surrounding all prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, defining the outermost boundary of the cell and physically separating the cytoplasm from the extracellular environment. Like all membranes, the cell membrane is... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 335 | 1,732 | null |
the existence of differences in shape, structure, or function between different parts of the same cell. Almost all cell types exhibit some form of polarity, often along an invisible axis which defines opposing sides or poles where the variation is most extreme. Having internal polarity permits cells to accomplish speci... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 313 | 1,670 | null |
Some may also bind exogenous ligands and transport them into the cell in a process known as receptor-mediated endocytosis. cell wall A tough, variously flexible or rigid layer of polysaccharide or glycoprotein polymers surrounding some cell types immediately outside of the cell membrane, including plant cells and most ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 333 | 1,633 | null |
cellular reprogramming The conversion of a terminally differentiated cell from one tissue-specific cell type to another. This involves dedifferentiation to a pluripotent state; an example is the conversion of mouse somatic cells to an undifferentiated embryonic state, which relies on the transcription factors Oct4, Sox... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 319 | 1,539 | null |
centriole A cylindrical organelle composed of microtubules, present only in certain eukaryotes. A pair of centrioles migrate to and define the two opposite poles of a dividing cell where, as part of a centrosome, they initiate the growth of the spindle apparatus. centromere A specialized DNA sequence within a chromosom... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 350 | 1,523 | null |
Chargaff's rules A set of axioms which state that, in the DNA of any chromosome, species, or organism, the total number of adenine (A) residues will be approximately equal to the total number of thymine (T) residues, and the number of guanine (G) residues will be equal to the number of cytosine (C) residues; accordingl... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 327 | 1,422 | null |
a change in speed resulting from exposure to a particular chemical compound. chemotaxis A directed, non-random change in the movement of a molecule, cell, or organism in response to a chemical stimulus, e.g. towards or away from an area with a high concentration of a particular chemical compound. chiasma (pl.) chiasmat... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 304 | 1,402 | null |
It is similar to but distinct from mosaicism. chloroplast A type of small, lens-shaped plastid organelle found in the cells of green algae and plants which contains light-sensitive photosynthetic pigments and in which the series of biochemical reactions that comprise photosynthesis takes place. Like mitochondria, chlor... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 301 | 1,335 | null |
chromatin A complex of DNA, RNA, and protein found in eukaryotic cells that is the primary substance comprising chromosomes. Chromatin functions as a means of packaging very long DNA molecules into highly organized and densely compacted shapes, which prevents the strands from becoming tangled, reinforces the DNA during... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 307 | 1,471 | null |
chromosomal instability chromosome A nuclear DNA molecule containing part or all of the genetic material of an organism. Chromosomes may be considered a sort of molecular "package" for carrying DNA within the nucleus of cells and, in most eukaryotes, are composed of long strands of DNA coiled with packaging proteins wh... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 343 | 1,720 | null |
circular DNA Any DNA molecule, single-stranded or double-stranded, which forms a continuous closed loop without ends; e.g. bacterial chromosomes, mitochondrial and plastid DNA, as well as many other varieties of extrachromosomal DNA, including plasmids and some viral DNA. Contrast linear DNA. circulating tumor DNA (ctD... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 340 | 1,688 | null |
Any sequence or region of non-coding DNA which regulates the transcription of nearby genes (e.g. a promoter, operator, silencer, or enhancer), typically by serving as a binding site for one or more transcription factors. Contrast trans-regulatory. cisterna (pl.) cisternae Any of a class of flattened, membrane-bound ves... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 350 | 1,704 | null |
clonal selection cloning The process of producing, either naturally or artificially, individual organisms or cells which are genetically identical to each other. Clones are the result of all forms of asexual reproduction, and cells that undergo mitosis produce daughter cells that are clones of the parent cell and of ea... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 343 | 1,700 | null |
Codons provide the key that allows these two languages to be translated into each other. In general, each codon corresponds to a single amino acid (or stop signal). The full set of codons is called the genetic code. codon usage bias The preferential use of a particular codon to code for a particular amino acid rather t... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 347 | 1,516 | null |
acetyl) which attach to its terminal sulphydryl (SH) group via a thioester bond. Its acetylated form, known as acetyl-CoA, is particularly important to numerous metabolic pathways, both anabolic and catabolic, including the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids and the oxidation of pyruvate as part of the citric acid ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 334 | 1,559 | null |
DNA that is synthesized from a single-stranded RNA template (typically mRNA or miRNA) in a reaction catalyzed by the enzyme reverse transcriptase. cDNA is produced both naturally by retroviruses and artificially in certain laboratory techniques, particularly molecular cloning. In bioinformatics, the term may also be us... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 348 | 1,803 | null |
The conformation of a protein is the physical shape into which its polypeptide chains arrange themselves during protein folding, which is not necessarily rigid and may change with the protein's particular chemical environment. conformational change A change in the spatial conformation or physical shape of a molecule or... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 342 | 1,815 | null |
See also dispersive replication. conserved sequence A nucleic acid or protein sequence that is highly similar or identical across many species or within a genome, indicating that it has remained relatively unchanged through a long period of evolutionary time. constitutive expression 1. The continuous transcription of a... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 310 | 1,602 | null |
Transformed or neoplastic cells tend not to respond to cell density in the same way and may continue to proliferate at high densities. This type of density-dependent inhibition of growth is similar to and may occur simultaneously with, but is nonetheless distinct from, the related phenomenon of contact inhibition of mo... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 336 | 1,816 | null |
copy-number variation (CNV) A phenomenon in which sections of a genome are repeated and the number of repeats varies between individuals in the population, usually as a result of duplication or deletion events that affect entire genes or sections of chromosomes. Copy-number variations play an important role in generati... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 337 | 1,525 | null |
crossing over See chromosomal crossover. crosslink Also cross-link. Any chemical bond or series of bonds, normal or abnormal, natural or artificial, that connects two or more polymeric molecules to each other, creating an even larger, often structurally rigid and mechanically durable macromolecular complex. Crosslinks ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 305 | 1,525 | null |
Proteins are also susceptible to becoming crosslinked to DNA or to other proteins through bonds to specific surface residues, a process which is artificially induced in many laboratory methods such as fixation and which can be useful for studying interactions between proteins in their native states. Crosslinks are gene... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 335 | 1,539 | null |
For simple diploid eukaryotes the term is often used interchangeably with genome size, but in certain cases, e.g. in hybrid polyploids descended from parents of different species, the C-value may actually represent two or more distinct genomes contained within the same nucleus. C-values apply only to genomic DNA, and n... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 339 | 1,496 | null |
Cytosine bonded to deoxyribose is known as deoxycytidine, which is the version used in DNA. cytochemistry The branch of cell biology involving the detection and identification of various cellular structures and components, in particular their localization within cells, using techniques of biochemical analysis and visua... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 314 | 1,533 | null |
The term is also sometimes used as a synonym for the broader field of cell biology. cytolysis See lysis. cytometer cytomics The interdisciplinary field that studies cell biology, cytology, and biochemistry at the level of an individual cell by making use of single-cell molecular techniques and advanced microscopy to vi... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 324 | 1,442 | null |
Though continuous throughout the intracellular space, the cytoplasm can often be resolved into distinct phases of different density and composition, such as an endoplasm and ectoplasm. Most of the metabolic and biosynthetic activities of the cell take place in the cytoplasm, including protein synthesis by ribosomes. De... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - C | 347 | 1,526 | null |
Section: D. daughter cell A cell resulting from the division of an initial progenitor, known as the parent cell. Generally two daughter cells are produced per division. Denoising Algorithm based on Relevance network Topology An unsupervised algorithm that estimates an activity score for a pathway in a gene expression m... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 336 | 1,572 | null |
decellularization degeneracy The redundancy of the genetic code, exhibited as the multiplicity of different codons that specify the same amino acid. For example, in the standard genetic code, the amino acid serine is specified by six unique codons (UCA, UCG, UCC, UCU, AGU, and AGC). Codon degeneracy accounts for the ex... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 340 | 1,511 | null |
denaturation The process by which nucleic acids or proteins lose their quaternary, tertiary, and/or secondary structures, either reversibly or irreversibly, through the application of some external chemical or mechanical stress, e.g. by heating, agitation, or exposure to a strong acid or base, all of which can disrupt ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 347 | 1,550 | null |
Cytosine bonded to ribose forms an alternate compound known simply as cytidine, which is used in RNA. deoxyguanosine Abbreviated in shorthand with dG. One of the four standard deoxyribonucleosides used in DNA molecules, consisting of a guanine base with its N9 nitrogen bonded to the C1 carbon of a deoxyribose sugar. Gu... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 332 | 1,281 | null |
DNA can also exist in single-stranded form. By storing and encoding genetic information in the sequence of these nucleobases, DNA serves as the universal molecular basis of biological inheritance and the fundamental template from which all proteins, cells, and living organisms are constructed. deoxyribonucleotide A nuc... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 304 | 1,147 | null |
dephosphorylation The removal of a phosphate group, PO3−4, from a chemical compound, protein, or other biomolecule, either spontaneously or by enzymatic catalysis. Dephosphorylation is the opposite of phosphorylation; both reactions are common molecular modifications involved in numerous biochemical pathways and proces... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 347 | 1,552 | null |
Molecules modified in this way are described as derivatives of their naturally occurring counterparts and are said to have been derivatized. desmosome A specialized cell junction between neighboring epithelial cells consisting of a network of keratin filaments and structural proteins bridging the gap between the plasma... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 310 | 1,535 | null |
dicentric (of a linear chromosome or chromosome fragment) Having two centromeres instead of the normal one. differentiation The process by which a eukaryotic cell changes from one cell type to another, in particular from a non-specialized stem cell to a more specialized cell type which is then said to be differentiated... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 316 | 1,596 | null |
Compare monomer, trimer, and tetramer. dinucleotide A molecular dimer consisting of exactly two covalently linked nucleotides; or any two nucleotides which are immediately adjacent to each other on the same strand of a longer nucleic acid polymer. diploid Denoted in shorthand with the somatic number 2n. (of a cell or o... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 324 | 1,391 | null |
directionality The end-to-end chemical orientation of a single linear strand or sequence of a nucleic acid polymer or a polypeptide. The nomenclature used to indicate nucleic acid directionality is based on the chemical convention of identifying individual carbon atoms in the ribose or deoxyribose sugars of nucleotides... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 299 | 1,286 | null |
In double-stranded nucleic acids, the two paired strands must be oriented in opposite directions in order to base-pair with each other. Polypeptide directionality is similarly based on labeling the functional groups comprising amino acids, specifically the amino group, which forms the N-terminus, and the carboxyl group... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 311 | 1,425 | null |
DNA See deoxyribonucleic acid. DNA barcoding A method of taxonomic identification in which short DNA sequences from one or more specific genes are isolated from unidentified samples and then aligned with sequences from a reference library in order to uniquely identify the species or other taxon from which the samples o... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 344 | 1,815 | null |
It consists of an array of thousands of microscopic spots of DNA oligonucleotides, called features, each containing picomoles of a specific DNA sequence. This can be a short section of a gene or any other DNA element, and is used as a probe to hybridize a cDNA, cRNA or genomic DNA sample (called a target) under high-st... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 344 | 1,632 | null |
DNA turnover Any mechanism by which DNA sequences are exchanged non-reciprocally (e.g. via gene conversion, transposition, or unequal crossing-over) that causes continual fluctuations in the copy number of DNA motifs during an organism's lifetime. Such mechanisms are often major drivers of speciation between population... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 344 | 1,732 | null |
domain A discrete, usually continuous region of a protein, or the corresponding amino acid sequence of a polypeptide, which serves a particular function or is defined by particular physico-chemical properties (e.g. hydrophobic, polar, non-polar, globular, etc.), and especially one which assumes a unique, recognizable s... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 295 | 1,492 | null |
double helix The shape most commonly assumed by double-stranded nucleic acid molecules, resembling a ladder that has been twisted upon its long axis, with the rungs of the ladder consisting of paired nucleobases. This secondary structure is the most energetically stable conformation of the double-stranded forms of both... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 342 | 1,617 | null |
double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) Any DNA molecule that is composed of two antiparallel, complementary deoxyribonucleotide polymers, known as strands, which are bonded together by hydrogen bonds between the complementary nucleobases. Though it is possible for DNA to exist as a single strand, it is generally more stable and m... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 350 | 1,635 | null |
Contrast upstream. dsDNA See double-stranded DNA. dsRNA See double-stranded RNA. duplex See double-stranded. duplication The production of a second copy of part or all of a nucleotide sequence or amino acid sequence, either naturally or artificially, and the retention of both copies; especially when both the copy and t... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - D | 174 | 816 | null |
Section: E. eat-me signal A molecule exposed on the surface of a cell which effectively tags the cell for phagocytosis, inducing phagocytes to engulf or "eat" it. The presence of oxidized phospholipids or phosphatidylserine, or the absence of sialic acid from cell surface glycoproteins or glycolipids, are all commonly ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 341 | 1,599 | null |
Thus electrophoretic techniques, particularly gel electrophoresis with agarose or polyacrylamide-based gels as the supporting medium, are widely used in molecular biology laboratories to quickly and conveniently isolate molecules of interest from heterogeneous mixtures and/or identify them based on their expected molec... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 345 | 1,767 | null |
embryo The developing organism that represents the earliest stages of development in all sexually reproducing multicellular organisms, traditionally encompassing the period after fertilization of an egg cell and formation of the zygote but prior to birth, hatching, or metamorphosis. During this period, known as embryon... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 337 | 1,667 | null |
By this mechanism the material can cross the lipid bilayer without being exposed to the hydrophobic space in between, instead remaining suspended in the fluid of the extracellular space. Many large, polar macromolecules which cannot simply diffuse across the membrane, such as metabolites and hormones, are transported i... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 304 | 1,320 | null |
endoplasmic reticulum (ER) endosome Any of a class of intracellular membrane-bound organelles which serve transportation and sorting functions in eukaryotic cells as part of the endocytic cycle. They are formed when proteins or other macromolecules enter the cytoplasm inside vesicles invaginated from the cell membrane ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 328 | 1,522 | null |
envagination enzyme A protein which acts as a catalyst for a biological process by accelerating a specific chemical reaction, typically by binding one or more substrate molecules and decreasing the activation energy necessary for the initiation of a particular reaction involving the substrate(s). Enzymatic catalysis of... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 319 | 1,553 | null |
The specific site or region within an antigenic macromolecule such as a protein or carbohydrate which is recognized by B or T cells of the immune system, against which a specific antibody is produced, and with which the antibody's paratope specifically interacts or binds. In proteins, epitopes are typically motifs of 4... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 342 | 1,672 | null |
evolution The change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. In the most traditional sense, it occurs by changes in the frequencies of alleles in a population's gene pool. ex vivo Occurring outside of a cell or organism, as with observations made or experiments performed ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 326 | 1,686 | null |
This fusion causes the intra-vesicular space to merge with the extracellular fluid, releasing the vesicle's contents on the exterior side of the cell without exposing them to the hydrophobic space between the lipid bilayer. More narrowly the term may refer in particular to the bulk transport of a large amount of molecu... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 331 | 1,469 | null |
2. (vesicle) A type of membrane-bound extracellular vesicle produced in many eukaryotic cells by the inward budding of an endosome and the subsequent fusion of the endosome with the plasma membrane, causing the release of the vesicle into various extracellular spaces, including biological fluids such as blood and saliv... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 279 | 1,295 | null |
Contrast intracellular; see also intercellular. extracellular matrix (ECM) Also intercellular matrix. The network of interacting macromolecules and minerals secreted by and existing outside of and between cells in multicellular structures such as tissues and biofilms, forming a hydrated, mesh-like, semi-solid suspensio... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - E | 326 | 1,584 | null |
Section: F. facilitated diffusion A type of passive transport by which substances are conveyed across membranes more quickly than would be possible by ordinary passive diffusion alone, generally because proteins embedded within the membrane act as shuttles or pores, being arranged in such a way as to provide a hydrophi... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - F | 295 | 1,370 | null |
autolysis and putrefaction) which would otherwise eventually cause cells, tissues, and biomolecules to lose their characteristic structures and properties. Biological specimens are usually fixed with the broad objective of arresting or slowing biochemical reactions for long enough to study them in detail, essentially '... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - F | 344 | 1,696 | null |
flagellate (of a cell) Having one or more flagella. flagellum (pl.) flagella A long, thin, hair-like appendage protruding from the surface of some cells, which serves locomotory functions by undulating in a way that propels the cell through its environment or by effecting the movement of extracellular fluids and solute... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - F | 314 | 1,544 | null |
forward genetics An experimental approach in molecular genetics in which a researcher starts with a specific known phenotype and attempts to determine the genetic basis of that phenotype by any of a variety of laboratory techniques, commonly by inducing random mutations in the organism's genome and then screening for c... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - F | 291 | 1,482 | null |
Section: G. G banding Also Giemsa banding or G-banding. A technique used in cytogenetics to produce a visible karyotype by staining the condensed chromosomes with Giemsa stain. The staining produces consistent and identifiable patterns of dark and light "bands" in regions of chromatin, which allows specific chromosomes... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 343 | 1,548 | null |
gene cassette See cassette. gene dosage The number of copies of a particular gene present in a genome. Gene dosage directly influences the amount of gene product a cell is able to express, though a variety of controls have evolved which tightly regulate gene expression. Changes in gene dosage caused by mutations includ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 309 | 1,608 | null |
Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) A database of high-throughput functional genomics and gene expression data derived from experimental assays and next-generation sequencing and managed by the National Center for Biotechnology Information. gene fusion The union, either by natural mutation or by recombinant laboratory techni... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 334 | 1,825 | null |
Gene regulation increases an organism's versatility and adaptability by allowing its cells to express different gene products when required by changes in its environment. In multicellular organisms, the regulation of gene expression also drives cellular differentiation and morphogenesis in the embryo, enabling the crea... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 313 | 1,703 | null |
2. In a given population, those individuals (often but not necessarily living contemporaneously) who are equally removed from a given common ancestor by virtue of the same number of reproductive events having occurred between them and the ancestor. genetic background genetic code A set of rules by which information enc... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 340 | 1,865 | null |
genetic engineering Also genetic modification or genetic manipulation. The direct, deliberate manipulation of an organism's genetic material using any of a variety of biotechnology methods, including the insertion or removal of genes, the transfer of genes within and between species, the mutation of existing sequences,... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 328 | 1,887 | null |
genetic redundancy The redundant encoding of two or more distinct gene products that ultimately perform the same biochemical function. Mutations in one of these genes may have a smaller effect on fitness than might be expected, since the redundant genes often compensate for any loss of function and obviate any gain of ... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 326 | 1,799 | null |
The collective set of genes or genetic loci shared by every member of a population or species, regardless of the different alleles that may be present at these loci in different individuals. genome instability genome size The total amount of DNA contained within one copy of a genome, typically measured by mass (in pico... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 283 | 1,343 | null |
genomic imprinting An epigenetic phenomenon that causes genes to be expressed in a manner dependent upon the particular parent from which the gene was inherited. It occurs when epigenetic marks such as DNA or histone methylation are established or "imprinted" in the germ cells of a parent organism and subsequently main... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 326 | 1,635 | null |
Though all mutagens are genotoxic, not all genotoxic compounds are mutagenic. genotype The entire complement of alleles present in a particular individual's genome, which gives rise to the individual's phenotype. genotyping The process of determining differences in the genotype of an individual by examining the DNA seq... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 350 | 1,627 | null |
glucogenic amino acid Any amino acid that can be converted into glucose via gluconeogenesis, as opposed to the ketogenic amino acids, which can be converted into ketone bodies. In humans, 18 of the 20 amino acids are glucogenic; only leucine and lysine are not. Five amino acids (phenylalanine, isoleucine, threonine, tr... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 327 | 1,379 | null |
Metabolic glucose is usually stored in the form of large polymeric aggregates such as amylose in plants and glycogen in animals, and is released by the breakdown of these polymers via glycogenolysis. glycogen A branched polysaccharide composed of as many as 30,000 covalently bonded units of the monosaccharide glucose w... | Wikipedia - Glossary of cellular and molecular biology (0–L) - G | 318 | 1,316 | null |
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