BESS T-Scan Method S e e B A S E E X C I S I O N

SEQUENCE SCANNING (BESS).

Best Linear Unbiased Prediction (BLUP)

A statistical (data) technique employed by livestock breeders to determine the breeding (genetic trait) value of animals in a breeding

program. See also GENETICS, TRAIT, PHENOTYPE, GENOTYPE, EXPECTED PROGENY DIFFERENCES (EPD).

Beta Carotene A phytochemical (vitamin precursor) that is naturally produced in carrots, other orange vegetables, and in the endosperm portion of the corn (maize) kernel. If the corn kernel seed coat is torn (e.g., via insect chewing), the beta carotene inhibits growth of Aspergillus flavus fungi in the endosperm region of the kernel. In 1970, an orange (-fruited) cauliflower was discovered growing in a field in Canada. It was the result of a natural mutation that caused beta carotene to be produced in that cauliflower plant, at a level that was several hundred times higher than normal for cauliflower. Beta carotene has been found to aid eyesight in people who consume it, and may help prevent lung cancer and heart disease. Because beta carotene is processed into vitamin A by the human body, consumption of this phytochemical can help avoid human diseases (e.g., in developing countries where vitamin A is scarce) that result from vitamin A deficiency, e.g., coronary heart disease, certain cancers (cancer of prostate, lungs, etc.), childhood blindness, macular degeneration (a leading cause of blindness in older people), and various childhood diseases which often result in death due to a weakened immune system. See also VITAMIN, GOLDEN

RICE, AFLATOXIN, FUNGUS, OH43, PHYTOCHEMICALS, NUTRACEUTICALS, CAROTENOIDS, CANCER,

CORONARY HEART DISEASE (CHD), ANTIOXI-

DANTS, DESATURASE.

Beta Cells Insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. If these cells are destroyed, childhood (also known as early-onset or Type I) diabetes results. See also ISLETS OF LANGERHANS,

INSULIN, TYPE I DIABETES.

Beta Conformation An extended, zigzag arrangement of a polypeptide (molecule)

chain. See also POLYPEPTIDE (PROTEIN).

	Beta Interferon One of the interferons, it is a
	protein that was approved by the U.S. Food
	and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993 to
			B
	be used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS). See
	also INTERFERONS, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRA-
	TION (FDA), PROTEIN.
	Beta Oxidation See CARNITINE.
	Beta Sitostanol	See SITOSTANOL.
	Beta Sitosterol	See SITOSTEROL.

Beta-conglycinin Abbreviated β-conglycinin. One of the (structural) categories of proteins produced in seeds of legumes. In general, β-conglycinin contains one-quarter to onethird as much cysteine (cys) and methionine (met) per unit of protein as does glycinin. β-conglycinin has greater emulsifying capacity (in water) and emulsion stability than does glycinin, so its presence can assist the manufacture of firmer tofu, and better protein-based (emulsion) drinks. See also

PROTEIN, CYSTEINE (cys), METHIONINE (met),

GLYCININ, EMULSION.

Beta-D-Glucouronidase See GUS GENE.

Beta-Glucan See WATER SOLUBLE FIBER.

Beta-lactam Antibiotics A category of antibiotics (e.g., penicillin G, ampicillin, etc.) that kill targeted bacteria by altering their essential cellular function of enzymatic controls that keep cell wall (peptido-glycan) synthesis (creation/repair) in balance with cell wall degradation. This causes cell wall breakdown and death of those bacteria (pathogens). See

also ANTIBIOTIC, PENICILLIN G , BACTERIA, CELL,

ENZYME, PATHOGEN, bla GENE.

Beta-Secretase An enzyme that (in the human brain) is linked to presence of Alzheimer’s

disease. See also ENZYME, ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE, AMYLOID β PROTEIN PRECURSOR (AβPP).

BEVs See BACULOVIRUS, BACULOVIRUS EXPRES-

SION VECTORS (BEVs).

BFGF Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor. See

also FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTOR (FGF).

BGYF See BRIGHT GREENISH-YELLOW FLUORES-

CENCE (BGYF).

Bifidobacteria See BIFIDUS.

Bifidus A “family” of bacteria species that live within the digestive systems of certain animals (humans, swine, etc.). Examples include Bifidobacterium bifidum, Bifidobacterium longum, Bifidobacterium infantis, Bifidobacterium adolescentis, and Bifidobacterium

© 2002 by CRC Press LLC

acidophilus. In general, Bifidus bacteria help to promote good health of the host animals, by several means.

B They produce organic acids (e.g., propionic, acetic, lactic), which make the host animal’s digestive system more acidic. Because most pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) grow best at a neutral pH (neither acidic nor base/caustic), the growth rates of pathogens are thereby inhibited. They “crowd out” enteric pathogens, since Bifidus bacteria grow fast in the acidic environment created by those organic acids. Some of the organic acids (e.g., propionic) produced by Bifidus bacteria are able to pass through the outer cell membrane of pathogenic bacteria and fungi; once inside those pathogens’ cells, these acids dissociate and acidify the cell interior (which disrupts protein synthesis, growth, and replication of that pathogen). They produce bacteriocins, which are proteins that suppress growth of the pathogenic bacteria. They produce certain short-chain fatty acids, which are absorbed by the host animal (e.g., in the colon) and thereby result in a reduction of triglycerides (fat) levels in the host animal’s bloodstream. That triglyceride reduction lowers the risk of coronary heart disease and thrombosis. See also BACTERIA, SPECIES, ACID,

BASE (GENERAL), PATHOGEN, CELL, PLASMA

MEMBRANE, MICROORGANISM, FUNGUS, PROTEIN,

RIBOSOMES, GROWTH (MICROBIAL), FRUCTOSE

OLIGOSACCHARIDES, FATTY ACID, TRIGLYCER-

IDES, CORONARY HEART DISEASE (CHD), THROM-

BOSIS, PREBIOTICS, BACTERIOCINS, INSULIN,

TRANSGALACTO-OLIGOSACCHARIDES.

Bile A liquid (mixture) made by the liver to help digest fats (in the intestine) and facilitate intestinal absorption of certain vitamins and minerals. Bile consists primarily of water, cholesterol, lipids (fat), “natural detergents” (i.e., salts of bile acids) that help break up fat globules in the intestines, and

bilirubin. See also BILE ACIDS, BILIRUBIN, FATS,

DIGESTION (WITHIN ORGANISMS).

Bile Acids A “family” of acids derived by the human liver from cholesterol (i.e., from foods), and excreted into the bile by the liver. They help to emulsify (food-source) fats in the small intestine, as part of the crucial first

step in the digestion of fats. See also CHO-

LESTEROL, DIGESTION (WITHIN ORGANISMS), LEC-

ITHIN, FATS, LIPIDS.

Bilirubin A component (pigment) of red blood cells (i.e., erythrocytes), that is recovered (from old red blood cells) and recycled into making bile (a liquid that aids the digestive process) by

the liver. See also ERYTHROCYTES, BILE, DIGESTION (WITHIN ORGANISMS), ENDOTHELIUM.

BIO See BIOTECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY ORGANIZA-

TION (BIO).

Bioassay Determination of the relative strength or bioactivity of a substance (e.g., a drug). A biological system (such as living cells, organs, tissues, or whole animals) is exposed to the substance in question and the effect on the living test system is measured.

See also BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY, ASSAY, BIOCHIP.

Biochemistry The study of chemical processes that comprise living things (systems); the chemistry of life and living matter. Despite the dramatic differences in the appearances of living things, the basic chemistry of all organisms is strikingly similar. Even tiny one-celled creatures carry out essentially the same chemical reactions that each cell of a complex organism (such as man) carries out. See also MOLECULAR BIOL-

OGY, MOLECULAR DIVERSITY.

Biochip A term first used with regard to an electronic device that utilizes biological molecules as the “framework” for other molecules acting as semiconductors and functioning as an integrated circuit.

1.During the 1990s, this term also became commonly used to refer to various “laboratories on a chip” to:

•Analyze very small samples of DNA

•Assess the impact of pharmaceuticals

— or pharmaceutical drug candidate molecules — on specific cells (i.e., attached to the biochip’s surface) or on specific cellular receptors (ligand-receptor response of cell)

•Size and sort DNA fragments (genes) via the (proportional) fluorescence of dyes intercalated in the DNA molecules

•Detect presence of specific DNA fragments (genes) via hybridization

© 2002 by CRC Press LLC

to a probe (that was fabricated onto the chip)

•Size and sort protein molecules (via various cells fabricated onto the chip)

•Assess pharmaceuticals via adhesion molecules attached to the chip

•Detect specific pathogens or cancerous cells in a blood sample (e.g., by applying controlled electrical fields to cause those cells to collect at electrodes on the chip)

•Screen for compounds that act against a disease (e.g., by applying antibodies linked to fluorescent molecules, then measuring electronically the fluorescence triggered by antibody-binding)

•Conduct gene expression analysis by measuring the fluorescence of messenger RNA (specific to which particular gene is “turned on”) when that mRNA hybridizes with DNA (from genome) on hybridization surface on the chip

2.Shortly after the 1990s, several companies manufactured biochips capable of sequencing (determining the sequence of) DNA samples. Such biochips have, attached to their surfaces, all possible “DNA probes” (short sequences of DNA). The sample (i.e., the unknown DNA molecule) is passed over the probe-covered surface of the biochip, where each relevant segment (within the large unknown DNA molecule) hybridizes (“pairs”) with the short “DNA probe” attached to a known location on the surface of the biochip. Because the sequence of each DNA probe — at each specified location on the biochip — is known, that

i n f o r m a t i o n ( i . e . , t h e p r o b e s ’ sequences to which the unknown DNA molecule hybridized) is then used to “assemble the complete sequence” of the unknown DNA molecule.

3.Sometimes refers to an electronic device that uses biological molecules as the framework for other molecules that act as semiconductors and function as an integrated circuit. The future working

	parts of the science of bioelectronics,
	biochips may consist of twoor three-
	dimensional arrays of organic mole-
		B
	cules used as switching or memory ele-
	ments. If biochip technology proves to
	be feasible, one application will be to
	shrink currently existing biosensors in
	size. This would enable the biosensors
	to be implanted in the body or in organs
	and tissues for the sake of monitoring
	and controlling certain bodily func-
	tions. A future possibility is to try to
	provide sight for the blind using light-
	sensitive (e.g., protein-covered elec-
	trode) biochips implanted in the eyes to
	replace a damaged retina. For example,
	during 2001, Alan Chow implanted
	such biochips into several men whose
	retinas had been damaged by the dis-
	ease retinitis pigmentosa.
	See also BIOELECTRONICS, BIONICS, BIOSENSORS
	(ELECTRONIC), DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID (DNA),
	RIBONUCLEIC ACID (RNA), GENE, RECEPTORS,
	HIGH-THROUGHPUT SCREENING (HTS), BIOINOR-
	GANIC, TARGET-LIGAND INTERACTION SCREENING,
	ANTIBODY, CHARACTERIZATION ASSAY, BIOASSAY,
	ASSAY, LUMINESCENT ASSAY, PROTEIN, LIGAND
	(IN BIOCHEMISTRY), MICROFLUIDICS, PROBE, PRO-
	TEOMICS, PROTEOME CHIP, BIORECEPTORS,
	HYBRIDIZATION (MOLECULAR BIOLOGY), FLUO-
	RESCENCE, ADHESION MOLECULE, GENE EXPRES-
	SION ANALYSIS, PATHOGEN, BIOINFORMATICS,
	MICROARRAY (TESTING), HYBRIDIZATION SUR-
	FACES, MESSENGER RNA (mRNA), GENOMICS,
	QUANTUM DOT, QUANTUM WIRE, NANOCOMPOS-
	ITES, SEQUENCING (OF DNA MOLECULES).
	Biocide Any chemical or chemical compound
	that is toxic to living things (systems). Lit-
	erally “biokiller” or killer of biological sys-
	tems. Includes insecticides, bactericides,
	fungicides, etc. Most bactericides accom-
	plish their task (killing bacteria) via massive
	lysis (disintegration) of bacteria cell walls
	(membranes). However, one (triclosan) kills
	bacteria by inhibiting enoyl-acyl protein
	reductase; a crucial enzyme utilized by bac-
	teria in their synthesis of fatty acids. See also
	BACTERICIDE, MICROBICIDE, LYSIS, BACTERIA,
	CELL, FATTY ACID, ENZYME, PROTEIN, ESSENTIAL
	FATTY ACIDS, ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS.

© 2002 by CRC Press LLC

		Biodegradable Describes any material that
		can be broken down by biological action
		(dissimilation, digestion, denitrification,
	B
		etc.). The breakdown of material (e.g., ani-
		mal carcasses, dead plants, even manmade
		chemicals) by microorganisms (bacteria,
		fungus, etc.). The biodegradation process is
		often assisted (i.e., first step) by the actions
		of animals and insects (e.g., feeding on dead
		carcasses, which breaks down those car-
		casses to make their materials more available
		for microorganisms to “feed” upon). For
		example, vultures and the yellow swallow-
		tail butterfly often are the first to feed on the
		carcasses of dead alligators in the state of
		Florida, which helps make the alligator’s
		material (body tissue) more readily available
		to microorganisms (e.g., in the dung excreted
		by those “first step” carcass feeders). See
		also DIGESTION (WITHIN ORGANISMS), MICRO-
		ORGANISMS, BACTERIA, FUNGUS, GLYCOLYSIS,
		METABOLISM, NITRIFICATION.
		Biodesulfurization The removal of organic
		and inorganic sulfur (a pollution source)
		from coal by bacterial and soil microorgan-
		isms. See also BIOLEACHING, BIORECOVERY,
		BIOSORBENTS.
		Biodiversity Defined to be “the variability
		among living organisms from all sources
		including terrestrial, marine/aquatic and the
		complexes of which they are a part” by the
		Convention on Biological Diversity. See also
		CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY.
		Bioelectronics Also called biomolecular elec-
		tronics. It is the field where biotechnology
		is crossed with electronics. The branch of
		biotechnology that deals with the electroac-
		tive properties of biological materials, sys-
		tems, and processes, together with their
		exploitation in electronic devices. Bioelec-
		tronics will attempt to replace traditional
		semiconductor materials (e.g., silicon or gal-
		lium arsenide) with organic materials such
		as proteins (biochips). See also BIOCHIPS, BIO-
		SENSORS (ELECTRONIC), BIOINORGANIC, BIONICS,
		QUANTUM WIRE, SELF-ASSEMBLY (OF A LARGE
		MOLECULAR STRUCTURE).
		Biogenesis The theory that living organisms are
		produced only by other living organisms. That
		is, the theory of generation from preexisting

life. It is the opposite of abiogenesis, or spontaneous generation.

Biogeochemistry A branch of geochemistry that is concerned with biological materials and their relation to earth’s chemicals in an area.

Bioinformatics This term refers to the generation/creation, collection, storage (in data- b a s e s ) , a n d e ffi c i e n t u t i l i z a t i o n o f data/information from genomics (functional genomics, structural genomics, etc.), combinatorial chemistry, high-throughput screening, proteomics, and DNA sequencing research efforts in order to accomplish a (research) objective (e.g., to discover a new pharmaceutical or a new herbicide). Examples of the data/information that are manipulated and stored include gene sequences, biological activity/function, pharmacological activity, biological structure, molecular structure, protein-protein interactions, and gene expression products/amounts/timing.

See also GENOMICS, FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS,

PHARMACOGENOMICS, STRUCTURAL GENOMICS,

COMBINATORIAL CHEMISTRY, HIGH-THROUGHPUT

S C R E E N I N G , P R O T E O M I C S , B I O C H I P , G E N E ,

GENETIC MAP, GENETIC CODE, SEQUENCING (OF

DNA MOLECULES), IN SILICO BIOLOGY, IN SILICO

SCREENING, GENE EXPRESSION ANALYSIS, META-

MODEL METHODS (OF BIOINFORMATICS).

Bioinorganic This term refers to the combination of organic (life) materials with inorganic materials to create (useful materials). For example, Abalone shellfish make their shells via a combination of protein and calcium carbonate. Researchers are working on making semiconductor devices (chips) containing peptides, etc. attached to silicon or gallium

arsenide. See also PROTEIN, BIOCHIP, PEPTIDE,

BIOSENSORS (ELECTRONIC), NANOCOMPOSITES.

Bioleaching The biomediated recovery of precious metals from their ores. In the recovery of gold, for example, the microorganism T. ferroxidans may be used to cause the gold to leach out of the ore so it may then be concentrated and smelted. Aluminum may be similarly bioleached from clay ores, using heterotropic bacteria and fungi. See also

BIORECOVERY, BIOGEOCHEMISTRY, BACTERIA,

BIOSORBENTS.

© 2002 by CRC Press LLC