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  Home >> Molecular Biology Dictionary >> Acropetal - Additive gene effects

Acropetal
1. Developing or blooming in succession t such as leaves or flowers developing acro 2. Transport or movement of substances t such as the movement of water through The opposite tendency is termed basipetal.

Acrosome
An apical organelle in the head of a spermatozoon, q.v.

Acrylamide gels
A polymer gel used for electrophoresis of DNA pr protein to measure their sizes (in daltons for proteins for DNA). See "Gel Electrophoresis". Acrylamide gels are especially useful for high resolution separations of DNA in the range of tens to hundreds of nucleotides in length.

Actin
One of the two contractile proteins in muscle (the other being myosin). Actin is also found in the microfilaments that form part of the cytoskeleton of all cells

Activated sludge
An active population of microorganisms used to treat wastewater, or the process in which the organisms are employed

Activator
1. A substance or physical agent that stimulates transcription of a specific gene or operon.
2. A compound that, by binding to an allosteric site on an enzyme, enables the active site of the enzyme to bind to the substrate. See gene expression.

Adaptation
(L. ad, to + aptare, to fit) Adjustment of a population to changed  environment over generations, associated (at least in part) with genetic changes resulting from selection imposed by the  changed environment. Not acclimatization, q.v

Adaptation traits
In AnGR: The complex of traits related to reproduction and survival of the individual in a particular production environment. Adaptation traits contribute to individual fitness; they are the traits subjected to selection during the evolution of animal genetic resources. By definition, these traits are also important to the ability of the animal genetic resource to be sustained in the production environment. (Based on FAO, 1999)

Adaptive radiation
The evolution of new forms, sub-species or species from one species of plant or animal in order to exploit new habitats or food sources. a.k.a. divergent evolution.

Adaptor
1. A synthetic double-stranded oligonucleotide that has a blunt end, while the other end has a nucleotide extension that can base pair with a cohesive end created by cleavage of a DNA molecule with a specific type II restriction endonuclease. The blunt end of the adaptor can be ligated to the ends of a target DNA molecule and the construct can be cloned into a vector by using the cohesive ends of the adaptor.

2. A synthetic single-stranded oligonucleotide that, after self­hybridization, produces a molecule with cohesive ends and an irternal restriction endonuclease site. When the adaptor is inserted into a cloning vector by means of the cohesive ends, the internal sequence provides a new restriction endonuclease site.

Addendum (pI: addenda)
In formulation of tissue culture media: an item or a constituent substance to be added.

Additive allelic effects
Effects of alleles at a locus, where the heterozygote is exactly intermediate between the two homozygotes.

Additive gene effects
Additive allelic effects summed across all the loci that contribute to genetic variation in a quantitative trait.

 

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