BIOTECHNOLOGY.

1. Absorption: a process during which molecules enter the bulk phase of

the substance.

2. Activator: A substance or physical agent that stimulates transcription

of a specific gene or operon

3. Active site: A site on the surface of a catalyst at which activity occurs.

4. Adaptation: Adjustment of a population to changed environment over

generations, associated with genetic changes resulting from selection
imposed by the changed environment.

5. Adenosine triphospate: ATP.

6. Adenovirus: A group of DNA viruses which cause diseases in animals.

In man, they produce acute respiratory tract infections with symptoms
resembling common cold. They are used in gene cloning, as vectors for
expressing large amounts of recombinant proteins in animal cells. They
are also used to make live-virus vaccines against more dangerous
pathogens.
7. Adhesin: The attraction of dissimilar molecules for each other. A
sticking together of unlike substances, such as soil and wter.

8. Adiabatic: a thermodynamic process in which no heat is transferred to

or from the working fluid.

9. Adsorption: The formation of a layer of gas, liquid or solid on the

surface of a solid. cf absorption

pg. 1

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

Aerobic bacteria: Bacteria that can live in the presence of

oxygen.

Aerobic: Active in the presence of free oxygen.

Agar: A polysaccharide solidifying agent used in nutrient media

preparations and obtained from certain types of red algae (Rhodophyta).

Agarose: The main constituent of agar.

Agonist: A drug, hormone or transmitter substance that forms a

complex with a receptor site that is capable of triggering an active
response from a cell.
Agricultural biological diversity: agrobiodiversity

Allometric: When the growth rate of one part of an organism

differs from that of another part or of the rest of the body.

Amino acid: The basic building block of a protein.

18.

Andrenarche: an increase in the production of androgens by the

adrenal cortex that usually occurs during the eighth or ninth year of life.

19.

Antibiosis:
The prevention of growth or development of an
organism by a substance or another organism.

pg. 2

20.

Antibiotic: A class of natural and synthetic compounds that

inhibit the growth of or kill some micro-organisms.

21.

Antigen: A foreign substance such as a pathogen that stimulates

the bodys immune system to produce antibodies.

22.

Antioxidant:
reactions.

23.

Antiseptic: Any substance that kills or inhibits the growth of

disease-causing micro-organism but is essentially non-toxic to cells of the
body.

24.

Antiserum: The fluid portion of the blood of an animal containing

antibodies.

25.

Artificial insemination: The deposition of semen, using a

syringe, at the mouth of the uterus to make conception possible.

26.

Ascospore: One of the spores contained in the ascus of certain

Compound that slows the rate of oxidation

fungi.

27.

Asexual: Any type of reproduction not involving meiosis or the

unin of gametes.

28.

Assess: To determine
of <assess a problem>.

the

importance,

size,

or

value

29.Autocatalysis: process carried out with the help of an autocatalyst.

pg. 3

30.

Autolisis: The process of self destruction of a cell, cell organelle,

or tissue. It occurs by the action of lysosomic enzymes.

31.Avogadros law: at constant t and p, equal volumes of gases contain

equal numbers of atoms, molecules (entities).

32.

Bacillus: A rod-shaped bacterium.

33.

Bactericidal:
microorganisms.

Term

used

to

describe

drug

that

kills

34.

Bacteriochlorophyll: A Magnesium-containing porphyrin that

resembles but is not identical to the chlorophull of cyanobacteria,
eucaryotic algae, and green plants. It occurs in anoxygenic phototrophic
bacteria.

35.

Balanced polymorphism: Two or more types of individuals

maintained in the same breeding population

36.

Base substitution: Replacement of one base by another in a DNA

molecule

37.

Biodegradation: The breakdown by living organisms of a

compound to its chemical constituents. Materials that can be easily
biodegraded

38.

Biodiversity: The variety of species (species diversity) or other

taxa of animals, micro-organisms and plants in a natural community or
habitat, or of communities in a particular environment (ecological
diversity), or of genetic variation in a species

39.

Bio-energetics: The study of the flow and the transformations of

energy that occur in living organisms

pg. 4

40.

Bio-engineering: The use of artificial tissues, organs and organ

components to replace parts of the body that are damaged, lost or
malfunctioning.

41.

Biofilm: Microbial colonies encased in an adhesive, usually

polysaccharide material, and attached to a surface.

42.

Biogs: A mixture of methane and carbon dioxide resulting from

the anaerobic decomposition of waste such as domestic

43.

Biological containment: Restricting the movement of (genetically

engineered) organisms by arranging barriers to prevent them from
growing outside the laboratory.

44.

Biomass concentration: The amount of biological material in a

specific volume.

45.

Biomass: A general term to indicate the total weight (usually dry

weight) of a microorganism in a culture or an environment.

46.

Biopsy: Removal of tissue from a living body for diagnostic

purposes.

47.

Bioremediation: The use of microbes to break down toxic or

unwanted substances.

48.Boltzmann factor (pi): the e(-e/kt) factor in Maxwell Boltzmann

distribution.

49.Bose-Einstein Distribution: bosons with the same energy can occupy

the same state.

pg. 5

50.

Bosons: elementary particle with integer spin.

51.Branching step: is a reaction in which the number of chain carrier

increases.

52.

Budding: A type of asexual reproduction in which an outgrowth

forms from the parent cell. It then usually pinches off to form a separate
independent cell.

53.

Buffer: A solution that resists change in pH when an acid or alkali

is added, or when solutions are diluted.

54.

Cncer: Uncontrolled growth of the cells of a tissue or an organ in

a multicellular organism

55.

56.

57.

58.

Capsid: The protein coat surrounding a virus.

Carbohydrate:
An organic compound based on the general
formula Cx (H2O)y, performing many vital roles in living organisms.

Casein: A group of proteins found in milk

Catabolism: The metabolic breakdown of large molecules in living

organism, with accompanying release of energy.

59. Catalysis: is a process carried out with the help of a catalyst.

pg. 6

60.Catalyst: is a substance that increases the rate of a reaction without

itself being consumed.

61.

Cell divisin: Formation of two or more daughter cells from a

single mother cell. The nucleus divides first, followed by the formation of
a cell membrane between the daughter nuclei. Division of cytoplasm and
nucleus into two or more parts by formation of a cell plate.

62.

Cell hybridization: The fusion of two or more dissimilar cells

leading to the formation of a somatic hybrid.

63.

Cell membrane: The membrane that separates the cell wall and
the cytoplasm, and regulates the flow of material into and out of the cell.

64.

Cell: The smallest structural unit of living matter capable of

functioning independently.

65.

Centrifugation: Separating molecules by size or density using

centrifugal forces generated by a spinning rotor. G-forces of several
hundred thousand times gravity are generated in ultracentrifugation.

66.

Centrifuge: A device in which solid or liquid particles of different

densities are separated by rotating them in a tube in a horizontal circle.
The denser particles tend to move along the length of the tube to a
greater radius of rotation, displacing the lighter particles to the other
end.
67.
Centromere: The portion of the chromosome to which the spindle
fibres attach during mitotic and meiotic division. It appears as a
constriction when chromosomes contract during cell division. After
chromosomal duplication, which occurs at the beginning of every mitotic
and meiotic division, the two resultant chromatids are joined at the
centromere.
68.Chain carrier: is an intermediate responsible for the propagation of a
chain.

pg. 7

69.

Chromosome: A long continuous pieces of DNA that carries

genetic information.

70.Closed systems: exchange energy but not matter with the environment.

71.

Coding: The specification of a peptide sequence, by the code

contained in DNA molecules

72.Colligative properties: are properties independent of the nature of the

compounds and depend on the numbers of the solute particles only. E.g.
Osmosis, boiling point elevation, freezing point depression, vapor
pressure lowering.
73.Condensation nuclei: are airborne particles (aerosols) composed of
soluble salts such as ammonium sulphate or sea-salt.

74.Consecutive reactions: are reactions taking place in sequence, i.e., the

product in one system may be a reactant in the other.

75.Convection: is the flow of heat or matter by the macroscopic movement

of the fluid.

76.Critical point: also called a critical state, specifies the conditions

(temperature, pressure and sometimes composition) at which a phase
boundary ceases to exist.
77.Critical Radius: the minimum size that must be formed before a droplet
is stable and begins to grow.

78.

Deletion: A mutation involving the removal of one or more base

pairs in DNA sequence. Large deletions are visible as the lack of
chromosomal segments.

pg. 8

79.Desorption: is a process where a substance is released from the

surface.

80.Diffusion: is the movement of substance induced by concentration

gradient.

81.

Disinfectation: Full elimination of internal micro-organisms from a

culture; disinfectation is rarely obtained.

82.

Distal: located
away
from
body <the distal end of a bone>

83.

the

centre

of

the

Disturbance: the state of being emotionally disturbed.

84.Electrolyte: is a compound which in its liquid form behaves as an

electrically conducting medium.

85.Elementary step: is a reaction step that represents the reaction at the

molecular level.

86.Endothermic process: is a process where heat is absorbed from the

surroundings.

87.Energy (e, j): is the capacity to do work or to produce change.

88.

Enhancer: a nucleotide sequence that increases the rate of

genetic transcription by increasing the activity of the nearest promoter on
the same DNA molecule.

pg. 9

89.Enthalpy of reaction: is the change in the enthalpy during a reaction.

90.

Enzymatic: produced by an enzyme.

91.Equilibrium: is characterized by a minimum in Free Energy and

maximum Entropy.

92.Exothermic process: is a process where heat is released to the

surroundings.

93.Fermi-Dirac Distribution: no two fermions can occupy the same state.

94.

Fermions: elementary particle with half-integer spin.

95.Fluorescence: is the emission of electromagnetic radiation by a

substance in singlet state while the substance is illuminated. The process
can be described by first-order kinetics.
96.Flux (J): is the amount of the property passing through unit area per
unit time.

97.

Fold: to become doubled or pleated.

98.Fugacity (f): of a real gas is an effective pressure which replaces the

true mechanical pressure in accurate chemical equilibrium calculations.

pg. 10

99.

Fungi: plural of fungus.

100.
Fungus: any of the kingdom Fungi of saprophytic and parasitic
spore-producing eukaryotic typically filamentous organisms formerly
classified as plants that lack chlorophyll.
101.
Gamete: In eukaryotes, the haploid cell analogous to sperm and
egg, results from meiosis.

102.
Gel: An inert polymer, usually made of agarose or polyacrylamide,
used for separating macromolecules such as nucleic acids or proteins by
electrophoresis.
103.

Genome: The complete set of genes present in an organism.

104.
Halotolerant: Organism capable of growing in the presence of
NaCl but not requiring it.

105.

Haploid: Having n or reduced number of chromosomes.

106.Heat (q, j): is an energy transfer induced by temperature difference.

107.Hess law: states that the change in the enthalpy of a reaction is the
sum of the enthalpies of reactions from which the reaction can be built.

108.Ideal dilute solution: a solution in which the solvent obeys Raoults

law and the solute obeys Henrys law.

pg. 11

109.
Immune: When a human or animal body is able to resist
infectious disease because of either previous infection.

110.
In vitro: Literally means "in glass", away from a living organism; it
is used to describe whatever happens in a test tube or other receptacle.

111.
In vivo: In the body; when a study or an experiment is done in
the living organism.

112.Initiation step: is a reaction step where the first chain carriers are
formed.

113.
Karyotypic: the chromosomes themselves or a representation of
them.

114.
Lack: deficiency or absence of something needed, desirable, or
customary.

115.
Layer: one thickness, course, or fold laid or lying over or
under another.

116.Lechateliers principle: states that if an external stress is applied to a

system at equilibrium, the system adjusts in such a way to decrease the
effect of the stress.
117.
Lignin: amorphous polymeric substance related to cellulose,
together with cellulose forms the woody cell walls of plants and the
cementing material between them.
118.
Linker:
anything serving to connect one part or thing with another; a bond or tie.

pg. 12

119.
Liver: a large, reddish-brown, glandular organ located in the upper
right side of the abdominal cavity. Functioning in the secretion of bile and
metabolic processes.
120.

Lysis: The physical rupture of a cell.

121.Migration: is the movement of ions induced by the external electric

potential applied.

122.
Mildew: a superficial usually whitish growth produced especially
on organic matter or living plants by fungi.

123.

Mold: a cavity in which a fluid or malleable substance is shaped.

124.
Nitrogenase: The enzyme complex catalyzing the reaction of
nitrogen fixation.

125.

Nucleus: the control centre of the cell containing chromosomes.

126.

Onset: the initial existence or symptoms of a disease.

127.Osmosis: movement of the solvent through a semipermeable

membrane from a dilute solution to a more concentrated one.

128.Parallel reactions: are reactions taking place at the same time.

pg. 13

129.Partition: is the dissolution of a substance in two immiscible liquids.

130.Phosphorescence: is the emission of electromagnetic radiation by a

substance in triplet state while the substance is illuminated. The process
can be described by first-order kinetics.
131.Photochemistry: is the study of the absorption of radiation and the
reactions of excited particles

132.
Photosynthesis: Process that occurs in plants, algae and
cyanobacteria that traps the suns light energy and uses it to fix carbon
dioxide into organic compounds.
133.Propagation: step is a reaction in which the number of chain carriers is
constant.

134.Reaction: mechanism is the sequence of elementary steps describing

the time evolution of the system.

135.
Rust: destructive diseases of plants produced by fungi (order
Uredinales) and characterized by reddish brown pustular lesions.

136.
Saprophytic: obtaining food by absorbing dissolved organic
material.

137.Second law of thermodynamics: states that in isolated systems the

entropy increases in spontaneous processes, i.e., s > 0; in reversible
process at equilibrium it is constant, i.e., s = 0. Or it is impossible to
convert heat completely into work, or heat cannot spontaneously flow
from a material at lower temperature to a material at higher
temperature.
138.
Smut: destructive diseases especially of cereal grasses caused by
parasitic fungie.

pg. 14

139.Spectroscopy: is the study of the interaction between electromagnetic

radiation and matter.

140.Standard molar enthalpy: of formation the enthalpy changes when 1

mole of a compound is synthesized from its elements in their standard
states of one bar at some temperature.
141.
Strains: a group of presumed common ancestry with clear-cut
physiological but usually not morphological distinctions.

142.

Straw: a single stalk or stem, especially of certain species of grain.

143.

Substrate: the base on which an organism lives.

144.Transport process: is the flow of matter, energy or momentum from

one place to the other.
145.
Wheat Germ: the embryo of the wheat kernel separated in milling
and used especially as a source of vitamins and protein.

146.
Yeast: a unicellular chiefly ascomycetous fungus, that has usually
little or no mycelium, that typically reproduces asexually by budding.

147.
Zymogram: an electrophoretic strip (as of starch gel) or a
representation of it exhibiting the pattern of separated enzymes and
isoenzymes after electrophoresis.

pg. 15