Biotechnology Glossary of Terms

Biotechnology Main Page

• Adenine
  Simple definition - One of the four nucleotide bases, G–C–A–T, that make up DNA.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Amino acid
  Simple definition - Building blocks of proteins.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Bacteria
  Simple definition - Single-celled organisms without a distinct nucleus. CRISPR-Cas9 was adapted from a naturally occurring genome editing system in bacteria.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Base pair
  Simple definition - Two nucleobases on opposite strands of a DNA molecule. Adenine pairs with thymine, guanine pairs with cytosine.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Biotechnology
  Simple definition - The use of living organisms and biological processes to make commercially useful products.
  FFA, Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Cas9
  Simple definition - Cas9 (CRISPR associated protein 9) is an RNA-guided DNA endonuclease enzyme associated with the CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats) adaptive immunity system in some bacteria.
  Wikipedia

• Cell
  Simple definition - The basic structural, functional, biological unit of all living organisms. Cells are often called the "building blocks of life".
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, Nature

• Chromosome
  Simple definition - A threadlike structure in our cells, made of a long DNA molecule, wrapped around a protein scaffold. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, NIH

• Clone
  Simple definition - An exact copy of something.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, University of Utah

• CRISPR
  Simple definition - A genetic engineering tool that uses a sequence of DNA and its associated protein to edit the base pairs of a gene.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster

• Cytosine
  Simple definition - One of the four nucleotide bases that make up DNA. Pairs with guanine.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• DNA
  Simple definition - A long molecule that contains our unique genetic code. It holds the instructions for making all the proteins in our bodies.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, NIH

• Double helix
  Simple definition - The structure formed by double-stranded molecules of DNA.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster

• Embryo
  Simple definition - An unborn or unhatched offspring in the process of development.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Embryonic stem cells
  Simple definition - Stem cells derived from an early embryo.
  Wikipedia

• Enzyme
  Simple definition - Biological molecules, usually proteins that are responsible for thousands of metabolic processes essential to life.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Biology Wise

• Eugenics
  Simple definition - The belief and practice of improving the genetic quality of the human population.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Eukaryotes
  Simple definition - Organisms whose cells have a nucleus enclosed within a membrane, unlike prokaryotes (Bacteria and Archaea). Animals, plants, fungi and insects are eukaryotes.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Exome
  Simple definition - All of the exons in a genome, which consist of the DNA that contains the instructions to make proteins.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Exon
  Simple definition - The part of a gene that has the instructions to make a protein.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Gamete
  Simple definition - A male or female reproductive cell that contains half the genetic information for an organism.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Gene
  Simple definition - Section of DNA that contain the instructions for our individual characteristics, like eye and hair color.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com, Genome.gov

• Gene Therapy
  Simple definition - The treatment of a disease by introducing modified DNA into the cells of the patient.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, NIH

• Genetic disease
  Simple definition - A disease that is caused by a change in an individual’s DNA (also known as a genetic disorder).
  Wikipedia, Stanford Children's Health, University of Utah

• Genetic engineering
  Simple definition - The manipulation of genes to alter an individual’s characteristics
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Genetically modified organism (GMO)
  Simple definition - An organism that has had its genome changed in a way that does not happen normally in nature.
  Wikipedia, Nature, Dictionary.com

• Genome
  Simple definition - An organism’s complete set of genetic instructions.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Genome Sequencing
  Simple definition - the process of determining the complete DNA sequence of an organism's genome.
  Wikipedia, Dictionary.com

• Genotype
  Simple definition - The genotype is the part of the genetic makeup of a cell that determines one of its characteristics.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Germ cells
  Simple definition - The cells that develop into sperm and eggs.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Germline
  Simple definition - The cells that develop into sperm and eggs.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster

• Guanine
  Simple definition - One of the four nucleotide bases that make up DNA, pairs with cytosine.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Haploid
  Simple definition - Term given to a cell with only one set of chromosomes, for example, the reproductive cells (sperm and egg).
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Hydrogen bonds
  Simple definition - An attractive interaction between two molecules. Hydrogen bonds hold the nucleotide bases (A, C, G and T) together in the DNA double helix.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Ligase
  Simple definition - An enzyme that joins together two strands of DNA.
  Wikipedia, Khan Academy

• Marker
  Simple definition - A gene or fragment of DNA with a known location on a chromosome.
  Wikipedia, Dictionary.com

• Messenger RNA (mRNA)
  Simple definition - Type of RNA molecule with an important role in protein synthesis.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster

• Mitochondria
  Simple definition - The power plants of our cells. Plural for mitochondrion
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Mitosis
  Simple definition - Mitosis is a process where a single cell divides into two identical daughter cells (cell division)
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Nucleotide
  Simple definition - Building blocks of nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA. These are adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine in DNA, and adenine, cytosine, guanine and uracil in RNA.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Nucleus
  Simple definition - A structure at the centre of all eukaryotic cells that contains the genome and acts as the ‘control room’ for the cell.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Organelle
  Simple definition - A functional structure found within eukaryotic cells. Organelles carry out functions such as making proteins, processing chemicals and generating energy for the cell.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Phenotype
  Simple definition - The physical traits and characteristics of an organism resulting from their genetic makeup.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Pluripotent
  Simple definition - A cell capable of developing into any type of cell or tissue in the body.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Polymerase
  Simple definition - An enzyme involved in making new DNA molecules from the four nucleotide bases, using the existing DNA as a template.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.comRCSB

• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
  Simple definition - A technique to make large quantities of a specific fragment of DNA.
  Wikipedia, Khan Academy

• Polypeptide
  Simple definition - A single chain of amino acids held together by peptide bonds.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.comRCSB

• Protein
  Simple definition - Large molecules made up of chains of amino acids.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Ribosome
  Simple definition - Small organelles found in our cells. They are responsible for assembling amino acids into proteins during protein synthesis.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• RNA
  Simple definition - A nucleic acid similar in structure and properties to DNA, but it only has a single strand of bases.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Senolytic
  Simple definition - Senolytic agents delay, prevent, alleviate, or reverse age-related diseases
  Wikipedia, NIH, Leaf Science

• Somatic cells
  Simple definition - Any cell forming the body of an organism. Includes all cells except the sex cells/germ cells.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Stem cells
  Simple definition - Cells that have the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Telomerase
  Simple definition - This is an enzyme that adds the DNA sequence repeat TTAGGG, also known as telomeres, to the ends of chromosomes.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Telomeres
  Simple definition - Sections of DNA found at the ends of each of our chromosomes, consisting of the same sequence of bases repeated over and over. They protect the ends of chromosomes by forming a cap.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Thymine
  Simple definition - One of the four nucleotide bases that make up DNA, pairs with adenine.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Trait
  Simple definition - A distinguishing quality or characteristic.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Transgenic
  Simple definition - An organism that contains additional, artificially-introduced genetic material in every cell.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Uracil
  Simple definition - One of the four nucleotide bases that make up RNA (instead of thymine), pairs with adenine.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com

• Vector
  Simple definition - Large molecules made up of chains of amino acids.
  Wikipedia, Merriam-Webster, Dictionary.com