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Home >> Dictionary of Bioinformatics, Biochemistry, Biotechnology >> Animal Genome Gene Bank Anthrax
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Angstrom (Å) Unit of length equal to 10-8 cm. This is used to measure the dimensions of atoms and molecules.
Anhydride The product of condensation of two carboxyl or phosphate groups by removal of water to form a compound with the general structure R-X-O-X-R, where X is carbon or phosphorous.
Animal cell immobilisation Entrapment of animal cells in solid material to produce some natural product or genetically engineered protein. Materials used for the process include hollow fibre membrance bioreactors, or porous carriers made of polysaccharide, protein, plastic or ceramic materials with microscopic holes inside which the cells grow.
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Animal cells have the advantage of producing genetically engineered proteins with post-translational modifications. However, animal, cells cannot tolerate a commercial fermentation process.
Animal genetic resources databank A databank that contains inventories of farm animal genetic resources and their immediate wild relatives.
Animal genome (gene) bank A repository containing animal genetic resources. The germplasm is stored in the form of semen, ova, embryos and tissue samples.
Animal model A laboratory animal used in medical research because it is similar to humans in disease traits. Animal models are also developed by transgenic technology.
Anion A negatively charged ion.
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Anisoploid Odd numbers of chromosome sets. Anisoploid individuals are generally sterile due to unequal segregation at mitosis.
Ankyrin A protein that is responsible for attaching the spectrin cytoskeleton to the plasma membrane of the red blood cell.
Anneal 1. The pairing of complementary DNA or RNA sequences, by hydrogen bonding, to form a double-stranded polynucleotide. 2. Binding of a short primer or probe.
Annexin-V A phosphatidylserine binding protein that may be used for detecting apoptotic cells.
Annotated database A database that contains a combination of amino acid sequences, comments, literature references and notes on known post-translational modification to the sequence. Since annotation of each entry is time-consuming and difficult to maintain without errors, annotated databases usually have fewer sequence entries than non-annotated ones. Annotated databases are technically superior because they contain information about the true form of the mature protein.
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Annotation A collection of comments, notations references, and citations, either in free format or utilising a controlled vocabulary, which describes all the experimental and inferred information about a gene or protein that can be applied to the description of biological systems. Batch, automated annotation of bulk biological sequence is an important aspect of bioinformatics. Annotation provides a description of the function(s) of a protein, posttranslational modifications, domains and sites, secondary, tertiary and quaternary structure, similarities to other proteins and diseases associated with deficiencies in the protein.
Anomers Isomers of sugars that differ in the configuration about the carbonyl atom. The carbonyl carbon is termed anomeric carbon.
Anonymous DNA marker A DNA marker that is detectable due to variation in its sequence, irrespective of whether or not it actually occurs in or near a coding sequence. Microsatellites are examples of anonymous DNA markers.
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Anonymous FTP An FTP service that allows any user to log in by typing anonymous as the user name and the email address as the password. See FTP.
Anorexia Reduced appetite.
Anorexia nervosa A psychogenic disorder characterised by lowered hypothalamic function, malnutrition and LHRH deficiency.
Anosmia Loss of the sense of smell.
Anoxia Lack of oxygen supply to tissues.
Antagonism An interaction between two organisms such as moulds or bacteria, in which the growth of one is inhibited by the other.
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Antagonist A substance that inhibits the effect of an agonist so that the combined biological effect of the two becomes smaller than the sum of their individual effects.
Antenna complex A component of a photosystem comprising protein complexes that bind chlorophyll and other pigments. This complex captures light energy and channels it to the photochemical reaction center.
Anion-exchange resin A polymeric resin containing fixed cationic groups. It is useful in the chromatographic separation of anions.
Anion gap The difference between the total concentration of measured cations [Na+ and K+] and measured anions [Cl-and HCO3-].
Anion gap acidosis A type of acidosis in which there is an increase in unmeasured anions due to overproduction of acids (eg. lactic acidosis, ketoacidosis) or gain of acid by exogenous substances whose metabolism produces hydrogen ions (eg. methanol) and by poisons.
Antennapedia complex A genetic locus in the homeotic box defined by mutations that cause development defects in the thoracic and head segments in the limbs and appendages of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster. A loss-of-function mutation may result in the development of the second leg pair into ectopic antennae whereas gain-of-function mutations convert antennae into ectopic legs.
Anterior Located towards the head end of the body.
Anterograde transport The forward movement of proteins from the endoplasmic reticulum through the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane.
Antetoposterior Refers to the axis that runs from the head to the tail of the animal body.
Anthrax A disease caused by Bacillus anthracis that mainly affects domesticated and wild animals and occasionally humans. The endotoxins produced by the bacteria causes septicaemia and/or haemorrhage that could be fatal. Cutaneous anthrax can be treated with penicillin or tetracycline, while animal anthrax can be partially controlled by immunization with attenuated vaccines.
Antibiosis The prevention of growth or development of an organism by a substance or another organism.
Antibiotic A natural product synthesized and secreted by microorganisms and plants and which is toxic to other organisms. Antibiotics can inhibit bacterial growth (Bacteriostatic) or cause bacterial death (bacteriocidal).
Antibiotic resistance The ability of a microorganism to produced a protein that disables an antibiotic or prevents transport of the antibiotic into the cell.
Antibody (immunoglobulin, lg) An immunological protein produced by B lymphocytes of the immune system of an organism in response to a foreign substance (antigen). The antibody specifically binds to the antigen and renders it inactive. An immunoglobulin molecule consists of two identical heavy and two identical light chains.
Structure of an Immunoglobin 
Antibody class The class to which an antibody belongs. This depends on the type of heavy chain present. In mammals, there are five classes of antibodies: lgA, lgD, lgE, lgG and lgM.
Antibody-dependent, cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) A phenomenon in which target cells, coated with antibody, are destroyed by specialised killer cells
(NK cells and macrophages) that harbour receptors for the Fc portion of the coating antibody enabling the killer cells to bind to the antibody-coated target.
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