A B C D E G H I L M N P R S T V X Y back

A

• Allele
  • Two genes that exists on the same locus of a homologous chromosome. Usually each expresses different characteristics.
• Amino acid
  • A chemical compound possesing an amino base and a carboxyl base, forming proteins.
• Autosome
  • Chromosomes that does not have to do with sex determination. There are 22 sets of autosomes in the human genome. compare sex chromosome

B

• Band
  • A field on the chromosome.
• Base sequence analysis
  • A method for determining the base sequence by cutting DNA into fragments.

C

• cDNA (complementary DNA)
  • DNA that is synthesized from a messenger RNA template. cDNA is a human made substance that does not exist naturally.
• Cell
  • A small package that makes up a cell organism. The smallest unit of lives. for more information click here.
• Chromosome
  • The yarn-like structure that can be seen in prokaryotes (organisms with nucleuses in cells) when in division. for more information click here.
• Chromosome map
  • A map of the relative positions of genetic loci on a chromosome, Also called a linkage map or genetic map.
• Codon
  • The sequence of nucleotides are coded by triplets of nitrogenous bases. This nitrogenous base sequence of three as one set is called a codon. for more information click here.
• Cromatin
  A compound made of histone and DNA.

D

• Diploid
  • An organism in where two sets of chromosome make one pair as in humans.
• DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)
  • for more information click here.

E

• Electrophoresis
  • Technique used to separate proteins and DNA by differnces in size. An indispensable technique for base sequence analysis.
• Enzyme
  • A catalyst made by organisms. Also called ecological enzymes. Enzymes speed up and makes biological reactiongo smoothly, and decrease the amount of activating energy needed for chemical reactions.
• Eukaryote
  • Organisms tha posses cells with nucleus.
• Exon
  • The protein-coding DNA sequence of a gene. Takes up about 5% of the entire genome. compare intron

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G

• Genetics
  • The study of the mechanisms of inheritance.
• Gene
  • The fundamental physical and functional unit of heredity that determine the genetic characteristics of an organism.
• Gene mapping
  • Determination of the relative positions of genes on DNA molecules (chromosomes or plasmids). For example, the creation of genetic maps and physical maps.
• Genetic map
  • A map of the relative positions of genetic loci on a chromosome, Also called a chromosome map.
• Genome
  • All the genetic material in the chromosomes to create and support an organism. In diploids, genome is the information included in the DNA sequence of one set of homologous chromosome. for more information click here.
• Genome size
  • The number of base pairs contained in a genome DNA.

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H

• Heredity
  • The phenomenon in where the biological characteristics descend from the parents to the child, and to their grandchildren.
• Histone
  • A tiny protein made from around 100 amino acids, and creates histon cores, which attaches with DNA and forms a solid complex called cromatin.
• Homologous chromosome
  • Chromosomes that are not completely the same, but very similar, as in a set of gene inherited from the father and mother. Chromosomes that replicated and became two are called chromatids.
• Hormone
  • A substance made in the endocrine gland that controls the growth and functions of the body.
• HUGO
  • The Human Gemone Organization founded in 1988. An international organization made by researchers of the human genome.
• Hybridization
  • The process of two complementary strands of DNA joining to make a base pair, forming a double-stranded molecule.

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I

• Initiator codon
  • Codons that comes at the beginning of a gene.
• Intron
  • The DNA base sequence interrupting the protein coding sequence of a gene. This sequence is first transcribed into RNA, then cut out of the message before becoming mRNA in which the sequence is translated into protein. compare exon.

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L

• Long arm
  • The part below the mark of a chromosome.

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M

• Mapping
  • The act of making a genetic map.
• Marker
  • An identifiable physical location on a chromosome. Markers can be a segment of DNA that can be identified by restriction enzymes, without coded functions.
• Meiosis
  • Reproductive cells, unlike structive cells cannnot posses two chromosomes. So when creating sex chromosomes, the process of dividing the cell is needed, and this process is called meiosis.
• Metabolism
  • The replacement of old substances to new substances.
• mRNA (messenger RNA)
  • RNA that serves as a template for protein synthesis. It is copied from DNA in the nucleus, then sent to the cytoplasm. The actual protein is translated from mRNA. An improtant molecule for the character progression of genetic information.
• Mutation
  • The appearance of a characteristic, different from what is inherited from their parents, due to an acquired change in the chromosome or gene.

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N

• Nitrogenous bases
  • The components of DNA and RNA, divided roughly into primes and pyrimidines. The genetic information of DNA and RNA are determined by the sequence of the few kinds of nitrogenous bases.
• Nucleic acid
  • A large molecule composed of nucleotide subunits- nitrogenous basesm sugar molecules, and phosphate molecules. DNA and RNA, both an important substance for genetic purposes within the cell, are nucleic acids.
• Nucleotide
  • A subunit of DNA or RNA, consisting of a nitrogenous base (adenine, guanine, thymine or cytosine in DNA; adenine, guanine, uracil, or cytosine inRNA), a phosphatemolecule, and a sugar molecule (deoxyribose in DNA and ribose in RNA).
• Nucleus
  • One of the cellular organelles in eukaryotes that contain genetic materials. Also called cell nucleus. The components of the nucleus are mostly DNA and histone.

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P

• Pairing
  • The phenomenon of the two chromosomes becoming one in the procedure of meiosis.
• PCR (polymerase chain reaction)
  • A method for amplyfying a segment of DNA base sequence to 100 thousands by using two kinds of primers (a short nucleic acid called oligonucletide) and heatstable polymerase, repeating the process of synthetic reaction of DNA and making a one-stranded DNA by thermal management.
• Physical map
  • A map of the locations of genes, in where the distance is measured by the number of base pairs. Compare chromosome map.
• Phage, Bacteriophage
  • Viruses that infect cells. If alien genes are intergrated into that DNA, it invades into the host cell when in infection and multiplies in the form of viruses.
• Plasmid
  • Nucleic acids that exists out of chromosomes and replicates distinctively from the nucleus. Plasmids are capable of intergrating DNA and replicating.
• Probe
  • A single-stranded nucleotide labeled either radioactively or immunologically. Probes are used to detect the complementary base sequence by hybridization.
• Purine
  • A base compound of adenine (A) and guanine (G).
  Pyrimidine
  • A base compound of thymine (T) and cytosine (C) in DNA, thymine (T) and uracil (U) in RNA.

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R

• Regulatory Gene
  • Orders when and how much, or when not to make proteins.
• Restriction enzyme
  • An enzyme system that bacterias posses as their self-protection structure. Recognizes and cuts invader DNA such as phages in order to protect themselves.
• Reproductive cell
  • A celll that makes descendants. For example sperms and eggs. Only posseses one chromosome. for more information click here.
• Reverse transcriptase
  • 塩基、糖、リン酸からなる高分子物質で、核に多く存在する酸性の物質という意味で核酸と名づけられた。核酸にはDNAとRNAがあり、どちらも遺伝情報を担う物質として細胞内で重要な働きをしている。
• Ribose
  • The sugar of RNA.
• Ribosome
  • A snall cellular component that exists in the cytoplasm.
• RNA (ribonucleic acid)
  • for more information click here.
• rRNA (ribosomal RNA)
  • Creates ribosome particulates, where protein synthesis takes place.

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S

• Sequencing machine
  • A machine that automatically sequence genes.
• Sex chromosome
  • Chromosomes that determines sex. One pair out of 23 pairs of the human genome is a sex chromosome.
• Short arm
  • The part above the mark of a chromosome.
• Somatic cell
  • Cells which always posess chromosomes in pairs. Almost all cells in the body are these. For more information click here.
• Structural gene
  • Genes that order what kinds of proteins are to be made.

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T

• Terminator codon
  • Codons that come at the end of a gene,
• Transcription
  • The synthesis of the genetic information of DNA on to mRNA, done in the nucleus.
• Transformation
  • A process in which refined DNA or exogenous material is incorporated into microorganisms and recombination of genes or changes in the phenotypes of cells occur.
• tRNA (transfer RNA)
  • Transfers amino acids complementary to the sequences of mRNA from cytoplasm to ribosomes.

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V,X,Y

• Vector
  • A capsule-like DNA molecule, acting as the sender of genes that are to be intergrated into cells.
• X chromosome
  • One of sex chromosomes. Usually, when both two are X chromosomes, it makes a female.
• Y chromosome
  • One of sex chromosomes. Usually, when one of the two sex chromosomes is a Y chromosome, it makes a male.
• YAC (yeast artificial chromosome)
  • A vector used to clone DNA fragments.

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