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Home >> Dictionary of Bioinformatics, Biochemistry, Biotechnology >> Cold Sensitive Mutant - Combinatorial Peptidomics
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Colchicine (L. colchicum, meadow saffron , from colchis, ancient Mingrelia) An alkaloid obtained from Colchicum autumnale, autumn crocus or meadow saffron, which inhibits spindle formation during mitosis. As a result, chromosomes cannot separate during anaphase, leading to multiple sets of chromosomes. Colchicine is used to halt mitosis at metaphase- the stage when chromosomes are most visible.
Cold-sensitive mutant
A mutant that is defective at low temperature and functional at normal temperature.
ColE1
A naturally occurring plasmid carries by some strains of E. coli for constructing cloning vectors. It encodes genes for colicin and immunity proteins that protect cells carrying this plasmid from the bactericidal effects of colicin.
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Colicin
An antibiotic encoded by plasmids such as ColE1. Colicins kill bacteria by inhibiting protein synthesis and active transport and by DNA degradation.
Coliforms
A group of small, rod-shaped Gram-negative anaerobic bacteria that inhabit the intestinal tract of humans and other animals without causing disease. They ferment lactose with gas production within 48 hours of growth. These include the genera Escherichia, Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Citrobacter and are used to monitor faecal pollution of water.
Colinear
The linear array or sequence of one molecule that corresponds to that of another. The base sequence in mRNA corresponds to he amino acids sequence of the corresponding protein encoded by the mRNA.
Colineraity
A relationship in which the units in one molecule are represent in the same sequence as the units in another molecule which they encode. For example, the nucleotides in a gene are colinear with the amino acid sequence in the polypeptide specified by that gene.
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Colipase
An enzyme that enhances the activity of pancreatic lipase. Colipase forms a 1:1 complex with lipase and helps anchor the enzyme to the substrate.
Coliphage
A bacterial virus that inflects and reproduces in coliforms.
Collagen
A fibrous protein rich in glycine and proline. It is major component of the extracellular matrix and connective tissue and bones; type I is found in cartilage and type from that is found in the skin, tendons and bones; type II is found in cartilage and type IV is present in the basal laminae.
Colligative properties
The properties of solutions that are based on the number of solute particles per unit volume such as freezing point depression.
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colloid
A suspension of microscopic particles dispersed in a medium and ranging in size from 1 nm to 1μm. While hydrophilic colloids remain in a suspended state due to repulsive forces among insoluble particles.
Colony
1. A collection of identical cells (clones) derived from a single progenitor cells. 2. A group of interdependent cells or organisms.
Colony (plaque) lift
The transfer of bacterial colonies or phage plaques from an agar plat onto a nitrocellulose membrane for hybridisation.
Colony counter
An instrument used to count the number of colonies on an agar plat. There are two types of counters-manual counters that generate a signal when touched to a colony, and automatic counters that can read an entire plate for the total number of colonies by detecting density differences.
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Colony forming unit (CFU)
A viable cell that gives rise to a colony.
Colony hybridisation
A method used for the identification of colonies containing a specific gene or DNA sequence. Colonies are transferred from an agar plate to nitrocellulose or nylon membrane followed by alkali treatment to denature DNA, heating to fix the DNA and incubated with a labelled probe to identify colonies harbouring the sequence. After identification, the specific colony can be isolated from the original plate and used for further analysis.
Colony stimulating factor (CSF)
A term used to denote the various signal molecules that regulate the differentiation of blood cells.
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Collins, Francis
(b. 1950) Head of the scientific team that cloned the gene for cystic fibrosis through chromosome walking in 1989. He is currently the Director of the Human Genome project at the National Institutes of Health.
Colorimeter
An instrument based on Beer-Lambert’s law that quantifies the concentration of substance in solution by measuring the amount of light absorbed by the solution at a given wavelength.
Colic
Acute paroxysmal abdominal pain.
Colostrum
A milky fluid, rich in maternal antibodies, secreted by the breast during late pregnancy and the first days after giving birth. Colostrum is higher in protein and minerals, and lower in sugar and fat. The maternal antibodies in colostrum protect the newborn from infection.
Combination chemotherapy
The simultaneous use of a number of anticancer drugs.
Combinatorial Chemistry
(Combichem) The use of chemical methods to generate all possible combinations of chemicals from building blocks such as peptides, nucleic acids or small molecules. The libraries of compounds formed by this technique are used to probe for new pharmaceutical reagents. The process involves starting with a scaffold and adding a selection of functional groups on to it to produce a series of new chemical that are different but related.
Combinatorial control
The control of a step in a cellular process by a combination or proteins rather that by a single protein. For example, the control of transcription initiation.
Combinatorial joining
The joining of segments of DNA to generate new genetic information such as the joining of lg genes during the development of B cells. This allows antibody diversity.
Combinatorial library
A library comprised of novel combinations of light and heavy antibody chains each of which is incorporated into a separate vector. The cDNA of light and heavy antibody chains are cloned into a bacteriophage λ vector. A number of novel combinations consisting of one heavy and one light chain coding region are generated which can be maintained in a library.
Combinatorial peptidomics
The first generic methodology applicable to protein expression profiling. It is independent of the physical properties of proteins and does not require prior knowledge of the proteins. It is suitable for use with high throughput micro-and nano-fluidic platforms capable of running multiple depletion in a single disposable chip.
Combining site
The specific site of an antibody that interacts with the antigen.
Co-metabolism
Refers to the phenomenon by which a microbe oxidises not only its main energy source but also another organic compound.
Command file
A file that gives instructions to the operating system.
Command language
The language used for giving instructions to a computer operating system.
Command line
The basic level at which the computer prompts the user for input.
Commensalism
The interaction of two or more dissimilar organisms that is advantageous to one without affecting the other organisms(s). See parasitism; symbiosis.
Commitment
The property of a cell to follow a particular developmental pathway.
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