GLOSSARYOF BIOTECHNOLOGY TERMS

THIRD EDITION

KIMBALL NILL

C RC PR E S S

Boca Raton London New York Washington, D.C.

© 2002 by CRC Press LLC

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Nill, Kimball R.

Glossary of biotechnology terms / Kimball R. Nill.-- 3rd ed. p. cm.

ISBN 1-58716-122-2

1. Biotechnology--Dictionaries. I. Title.

TP248.16 .F54 2002
660.6′03--dc21	2002017441

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To my wife, Janet J. Nill.

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Preface

I began writing this book as a hobby, more than a decade ago, when it became obvious to me that the various specialists working in the then-emerging field of biotechnology (e.g., geneticists, chemists, molecular biologists, intellectual property attorneys, marketers, etc.) were occasionally having difficulty simply understanding the terms utilized by colleagues in their respective fields.

Subsequently, a number of organizations with various motivations have raised some concerns around the world about biotechnology. In my experience, the level of concern inevitably diminishes when people understand the terms used to discuss a given topic. To this end, I have attempted to write definitions in this book employing words that would enable the reader to conceptualize the idea embodied in the term, without the necessity of holding advanced degrees in biochemistry or molecular biology. In order to accomplish this, however, I had to make certain compromises between scientific rigor and definitions based on analogy, with the inherent possibility of oversimplification. Nonetheless, throughout the text, emphasis has been placed on explanation by analogy whenever possible; I have found this method to be most effective for defining words, phrases, and terms to diverse publics.

I offer this work in good faith, and in the hope that it will assist those individuals who seek to gain some understanding of the terminology as it is currently used. However, the reader should be aware that the field of biotechnology is rapidly expanding and evolving; new terms are entering the nomenclature at a rapid pace. In fact, the meaning(s) of some of the newest terms will undoubtedly be expanded or narrowed as the technology further develops. Although I have endeavored to be as accurate as possible, this work is meant to provide a general introduction rather than to be absolute and legally definitive.

Kimball R. Nill

Technical Issues Director

American Soybean Association

St. Louis, Missouri

© 2002 by CRC Press LLC

Author

Kimball Nill, technical issues director at American Soybean Association (ASA), is responsible for early detection of emerging technology-related issues that could impact U.S. soybean exports, and for dealing proactively with those threats and/or opportunities.

The author grew up on a farm in North Dakota. He holds a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from North Dakota State University, Fargo, and a masters degree in business administration from the Wharton Business School in Philadelphia, PA. He has authored numerous papers and articles on various aspects of marketing agricultural biotechnology products for U.S. and European journals, and other publications.

Prior to joining the ASA in 1996, Nill was international marketing manager for Moorman’s Inc., an Illinois manufacturer of specialty livestock nutrition products. Before that, he spent 5 years in positions supporting in-house venture capital and biotechnology research activities in a major biotechnology company.

Professional affiliations include membership in the American Chemical Society, the Licensing Executives Society, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

© 2002 by CRC Press LLC

Glossary of

Biotechnology Terms

A

A

A-DNA A particular right-handed helical form of DNA (possessing 11 base pairs per turn), in which DNA molecules exist when they are partially dehydrated. A-form DNA is found in fibers at 75% relative humidity and requires the presence of sodium, potassium, or cesium as the counterion. Instead of lying flat, the bases are tilted with regard to the helical axis and there are more base pairs per turn. The A-form is biologically interesting because it is probably very close to the conformation adopted by DNA-RNA hybrids or by RNA-RNA double-stranded regions. The reason is that the presence of the 2′2 hydroxyl group prevents RNA from lying in the B-form. See also B-DNA, DNA-RNA HYBRID,

DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID (DNA), BASE PAIR (bp). A PP See AMYLOID β PROTEIN PRECURSOR (AβPP).

Aw See WATER ACTIVITY (AW).

aAI-1 See ALPHA AMYLASE INHIBITOR-1.

ABC See ASSOCIATION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY COM-

PANIES (ABC).

ABC Transporters A class of membrane transporter proteins which “transfer” across cell membranes: sugar molecules (i.e., used by cells as “fuel”); inorganic ions (needed to catalyze certain cellular processes); polypeptides (i.e., protein molecules); certain anticancer drugs (thereby making it harder to halt certain cancer tumors via use of pharmaceuticals); certain antibiotics (thereby conferring antibiotic resistance to some pathogenic bacteria). ABC transporter molecules are embedded in the plasma membrane (i.e., surface

“skin”) of cells. See also CELL, PLASMA MEM-

BRANE, PROTEIN, CATALYST, ION, POLYPEPTIDE

(protein), CANCER, CHEMOTHERAPY, ANTIBIOTIC

RESISTANCE.

Abiogenesis Spontaneous generation. See also

BIOGENESIS.

Abiotic Absence of living organisms. See also

ABIOTIC STRESSES.

Abiotic Stresses The stress caused (e.g., to crop plants) by nonliving, environmental factors such as cold, drought, flooding, salinity, ozone, toxic-to-that-organism metals (e.g., aluminum, for plants), and ultraviolet-B light.

See also CITRATE SYNTHASE (CSB) GENE.

Abrin A toxin derived from the seed of the rosary pea. See also RICIN, PHYTOCHEMICALS,

TOXIN.

Abscisic Acid A phytohormone (plant hormone) utilized to control: the size of stomatal pores — i.e., the openings in leaves through which plants exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide (and water inadvertently) with the atmosphere; abscision (e.g., shedding of flowers, fruit, etc.); dormancy. See

also PLANT HORMONE, GPA1.

Absolute Configuration The configuration of four different substituent groups around an asymmetric carbon atom, in relation to D- and L-glyceraldehyde. See also DEXTROROTARY

(D) ISOMER, LEVOROTARY (L) ISOMER.

Absorbance (A) A measure of the amount of light absorbed by a substance suspended in a matrix. The matrix may be gaseous, liquid, or solid in nature. Most biologically active

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AMERICAN TYPE CULTURE COLLECTION

compounds (e.g., proteins) absorb light in

Athe ultraviolet (UV) or visible light portion of the spectrum. Absorbance is used to quantitate (measure) the concentration of the substance in question (e.g., substance dissolved in a liquid). See also OPTICAL DENSITY (OD),

SPECTROPHOTOMETER.

Absorption From the Latin ab, away, and sorbere, to suck into. The taking-up of nutrients, water, etc. by assimilation (e.g., transport of the products of digestion from the intestinal tract across the cell membranes that comprise the gut, and into the blood). See also “ADME”

TESTS, DIGESTION (WITHIN ORGANISMS).

Abzymes Catalytic antibodies that are synthetic constructs. They either stabilize the transition state of a chemical reaction or bind to a specific substrate, thereby increasing the reaction rate of that chemical reaction. See

also CATALYTIC ANTIBODY, TRANSITION STATE,

SUBSTRATE (CHEMICAL).

Ac-CoA Abbreviation for Acetyl-coenzyme A. Ac-CoA is a chemical synthesized in cell mitochondria by combining the thiol (molecular group) of coenzyme A with an acetyl group (i.e., from breakdown/digestion of fats, carbohydrates, or proteins). See also

COENZYME, COENZYME A, FATS, ACETYLCHOLINE,

GLUCONEOGENESIS, ACETYL-CoA CARBOXYLASE,

CHOLINESTERASE, CELL, MITOCHONDRIA, FATS,

PROTEIN.

Ac-P Acetylphosphate.

ACC Abbreviation/acronym for the compound 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid, which is produced from S-adenosylmethion- ine (SAM) in the fruit of certain plants. When the “sam-k” gene is inserted into the genome of those plants, the level of SAM is greatly reduced in their fruit, which inhibits (slows) ripening/softening of that fruit via a reduction/slowdown in production of ethyl- e n e ( h o r m o n e t h a t c a u s e s f r u i t t o ripen/soften). See also ACC SYNTHASE, ETHYL-

ENE, SAM-K GENE, GENETIC ENGINEERING,

GENOME, PLANT HORMONE.

ACC Synthase Aminocyclopropane carboxylic acid synthase/deaminase; it is one of the most critical enzymes in the metabolic pathway that creates the hormone ethylene inside fruit. Because ethylene causes certain fruit (e.g., tomatoes) to ripen (soften), it is possible

to significantly delay the softening (i.e., spoilage) process by controlling creation of ACC synthase via manipulation of the ACC synthase gene. See also ACC, METABOLISM,

ENZYME, METABOLITE, INTERMEDIARY METABO-

LISM, PATHWAY, PLANT HORMONE, POLYGALAC-

TURONASE (PG), ETHYLENE, SAM-K GENE.

ACCase See ACETYL-CoA CARBOXYLASE.

Acceptor Control The regulation of the rate of respiration by the availability of ADP as phosphate acceptor. See also RESPIRATION,

ADENOSINE DIPHOSPHATE (ADP).

Acceptor Junction Site The junction between the right 3′ end of an intron and the left 5′ end of an exon. See also INTRON, EXON.

Accession The addition of germ-plasm deposits to existing germ-plasm storage bands. See also

(ATCC).

Acclimatization T h e b i o l o g i c a l p r o c e s s whereby an organism adapts to a new environment. For example, the body of a mountain climber who has spent significant time high on Mount Everest (e.g., 20,000 feet above sea level) produces twice as many red blood cells (to transport oxygen) as it does at sea level. Often, this adaptation actually occurs on a molecular level. One example is when natural microorganisms adapt so that they feed on, and degrade, toxic chemical wastes; or change from using one sugar as a fuel source to another. See also SUGAR

MOLECULES, CATABOLISM, RED BLOOD CELLS,

COLD HARDENING, PHARMACOENVIROGENETICS.

ACE Angiotensin-converting enzyme. A crucial enzyme (within the human vascular system) for catalyzing the formation of angiotensin, a hormone that causes narrowing/restriction of blood vessels, thus increasing the body’s blood pressure as the blood is squeezed through those narrowed blood vessels. The action of ACE can be inhibited by the pharmaceuticals known as ACE inhibitors. Research indicates that consumption of whey protein can also result in inhibition

of ACE. See also ENZYME, HORMONE, ACE INHIBITORS.

ACE Inhibitors A family of chemically-simi- lar pharmaceuticals utilized to lower blood pressure in humans, by blocking formation

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