Glossary Term
Proteinase K Digestion
An enzymatic pre-treatment in nucleic-acid extraction that degrades proteins and nucleases, releasing nucleic acids from clinical material before binding, wash, and elution steps.
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Glossary Term
An enzymatic pre-treatment in nucleic-acid extraction that degrades proteins and nucleases, releasing nucleic acids from clinical material before binding, wash, and elution steps.
Glossary Term
A volatile liquid prepared by fermentation of certain carbohydrates. Alcohol acts as a central nervous system (CNS) depressant, a diuretic, and a disinfectant. Although the exact mechanism of CNS depression is unknown, alcohol may act by inhibiting the opening of calcium channels, mediated by the binding of the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) to GABA-A receptors, or through inhibitory actions at N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-type glutamate receptors. Alcohol inhibits the production of antidiuretic hormone, thereby producing diuresis that may lead to dehydration. This agent kills organisms by denaturing their proteins.
Glossary Term
Alternate Splicing is a process in which multiple protein isoforms or products are generated from a single gene as a result of splicing together different nonconsecutive exons during the processing of initially identical nascent transcripts of a gene into mature mRNA transcripts. An exon may be connected to any one of several alternative exons to form the mRNA and generate related proteins, often in a tissue or developmental stage specific manner.
Glossary Term
A storage facility of biospecimens that includes tissue samples, fluids, and molecular derivatives such as DNA, RNA, and proteins. The biorepository has stringent guidelines regarding the standardized collection, handling, storage, and documentation of biological specimens.
Glossary Term
A structure found in cells that is comprised of a strand of linearized double-stranded DNA plus proteins that package the DNA in a condensed coil form and regulate chromosomal function.
Glossary Term
Major protein component of chromatin. Highly conserved basic proteins, originally classified into classes based on the relative amounts of arginine and lysine in each protein. The various classes are now termed H1, H2A, H2B, H3, and H4. In chromatin, they are found in an octamer, containing two each of H2A, H2B, H3, and H4, complexed with DNA in nucleosomes. The histones in the octamer complex are also known as the core histones. The H1 class of histones, termed the linker histones, is loosely associated with the nucleosome.
Glossary Term
An isomer of propyl alcohol with antibacterial properties. Although the exact mechanism of isopropanol's disinfecting action is not known, it might kill cells by denaturing cell proteins and DNA, interfering with cellular metabolism, and dissolving cell lipo-protein membranes. Isopropanol is used in soaps and lotions as an antiseptic.
Glossary Term
Refers to the total protein-encoding capability of an organism's genome. It is also used to refer to the actual total expressed protein complement of an organism or to the identifiable proteins of a single tissue or cell type or subcellular compartment.
Glossary Term
The global analysis of cellular proteins. Proteomics uses a combination of sophisticated techniques including two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis, image analysis, mass spectrometry, amino acid sequencing, and bio-informatics to resolve comprehensively, to quantify, and to characterize proteins. The application of proteomics provides major opportunities to elucidate disease mechanisms and to identify new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets.
Glossary Term
An RNA molecule that does not contain protein-coding sequence information and constitutes the majority of the cellular RNA (~80%). This nucleic acid associates with multiple proteins to form ribosomes, which are the organelles that drive mRNA-directed protein synthesis.
Glossary Term
Ubiquitin is a family of widely distributed proteins found in all eukaryotes that contain a highly conserved sequence of 76 amino acids identical in organisms from humans to insects. It participates in diverse cellular functions by conjugation to other proteins through its carboxy terminus. Ubiquitination is associated with many highly regulated biological events including protein degradation, chromatin remodelling, heat shock, cell cycle progression, differentiation, antigen presentation, retrovirus assembly, apoptosis, signal transduction, transcriptional activation, biological clocks, receptor down regulation, and endocytosis. Protein ubiquitination regulates the half-lives of many proteins by targeting them for degradation. Newly discovered families of ubiquitination and deubiquitination enzymes participate in these processes. Ubiquitination enzymes may provide new therapeutic targets and ways of intervention in many human diseases.