Biotechnology Vocabulary

Abstract

A absorbance the amount of light absorbed by a sample (the amount of light that does not pass through or reflect off a sample) absorbance unit (au) a unit of light absorbance determined by the decrease in the amount of light in a light beam acetylsalicylic acid aspirin acid a solution that has a pH less than 7 agarose a carbohydrate from seaweed that is widely used as a medium for horizontal gel electrophoresis agglutination clumping together, as in the binding and clumping of antigens with their corresponding antibodies Agrobacterium tumefaciens (A. tumefaciens) a bacterium that transfers the Ti plasmid to certain plant species, resulting in a plant disease called crown gall; used in plant genetic engineering aldehyde a chemical compound with a C=O group at the end of a carbon chain allergen an antigen that causes an inflammatory response (redness, swelling, itchiness) or allergic reaction ampicillin an antibiotic that prevents bacterial cell division by inhibiting cell wall synthesis amylase an enzyme that functions to break down the polysaccharide amylase (plant starch) to the disaccharide maltose anion exchange a form of ion-exchange chromatography in which negatively charged ions (anions) are removed by a positively charged resin antibiotic molecular agent derived from fungi and/or bacteria that impedes the growth and survival of some other microorganisms antibody protein developed by the immune system that recognizes specific molecules (antigens) antigen foreign protein or molecule that is the target of binding by antibodies antimicrobial a substance that kills or slows the growth of one or more microorganisms antiseptic antimicrobial solution, such as alcohol or iodine, that is used to clean surfaces Arabidopsis thaliana (A. thaliana) an herbaceous plant, related to radishes, that serves as a model organism for many plant genetic engineering studies asexual plant propagation a process by which identical offspring are produced by a single parent; methods include taking cuttings of leaves and stems, and plant tissue culture, etc. assay a test autoclave an instrument that creates high temperature and high pressure to sterilize equipment and media auxin a plant hormone produced primarily in shoot tips that regulates cell elongation and leaf development