PBS EOC

Cholesterol

A lipid that forms an essential compenent of animal cell membranes and acts as a precursor moleculr for the synthesis of other biologically important steroids

Fatty Acid

A long carbon chain with the end carbon double bonded to oxygen and to a hydroxyl (OH) to form a carboxylic acid.

HDL (High Density Lipoprotein)

A cholesterol-carrying particle in the blood, made up of cholesterol and other lipids surrounded by a single layer of phospholipids in which proteins are embedded.An HDL particle carries less cholesterol than a related lipoprotein, LDL, and may be correlated with a decreased risk of blood vessel blockage.

LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein)

A cholesterol-carrying particle in the blood, made up of cholesterol and other lipids surrounded by a single layer of phospholipids in which proteins are embedded. An LDL particle carries more cholesterol than a related lipoprotein, HDL, and high LDL levels in the blood correlate with a tendency to develop blocked blood vessels and heart disease.

Monounsaturated Fatty Acid

A fatty acid whose molecular structure includes only one double carbon bond.

Polyunsaturated Fat

A kind of fat often found in plant products that contains numerous double bonds between the carbons in the hydrocarbon tails of the fatty acids.

Saturated Fat

A kind of fat, often found in meat and other animal products, which cannot incorporate any additional hydrogen atoms.

Saturated Fatty Acid

A fatty acid in which all carbons in the hydrocarbon tail are connected by single bonds, thus maximizing the number of hydrogen atoms that can attach to the carbon skeleton.

Tri-glyceride

Three fatty acids linked to one glycerol molecule.

Unsaturated Fatty Acid

A fatty acid possessing one or more double bonds between the carbons in the hydrocarbon tail. Such bonding reduces the number of hydrogen atoms attached to the carbon skeleton.

Agarose

A polysaccharide obtained from seaweed that is used as the supporting medium in gel electrophoresis.

Allele

Alternative versions of a gene that produce distinguishable phenotypic effects.

Amplification

A usually massive replication of genetic material and especially of a gene or DNA sequence.

Electrophoresis

The movement of suspended particles through a fluid or gel under the action of an electromotive force applied to electrodes in contact with the suspension.

Exponential

Rapidly becoming greater in size. In mathematics used to describe a mathematical entity such as a curve, function, equation, or series that contains, is expressed as, or involves numbers or quantities raised to an exponent.

Familial Hypercholesterolemia

A metabolic disorder that is caused by defective or absent receptors for LDLs on cell surfaces, that is marked by an increase in blood plasma LDLs and by an accumulation of LDLs in the body resulting in an increased risk of heart attack and coronary heart disease, and that is inherited as an autosomal dominant trait.

Heterozygous

Having two different alleles for a given gene.

Homozygous

Having two identical alleles for a given gene.

Linear

Relating to a straight line or capable of being represented by a straight line.

Mutation

A rare change in the DNA of a gene, ultimately creating genetic diversity.

Restriction Endonuclease

A degradative enzyme that recognizes specific nucleotide sequences and cuts up DNA.

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

A laboratory technique for amplifying DNA in vitro by incubating with special primers, DNA polymerase molecules, and nucleotides.

Phenotype

The physical and physiological traits of an organism that are determined by its genetic makeup.

Polymerase

Any of several enzymes that catalyze the formation of DNA.

Polymorphism

The coexistence of two or more distinct forms in the same population.

Antibiotic

A substance produced by or derived from a microorganism and able in dilute solution to inhibit or kill another microorganism.

Antibiotic resistance

Resistance to one or more antibiotics, usually due to additional genetic information.

Bacillus

A cylindrical or rod-shaped bacterium.

Coccus

A spherical bacterium.

Gram stain

A method for the differential staining of bacteria that involves fixing the bacterial cells to a slide and staining with crystal violet and iodine, then washing with alcohol, and counterstaining with safranin. Results in gram-positive bacteria retaining the purple dye and gram-negative organisms having it decolorized so that the red counterstain shows up.

Zone of inhibition

Region around a chemical saturated disc, where bacteria are unable to grow due to adverse effects of the compound in the disc.

Antiviral drugs

Drugs that act, are effective, or are directed against viruses.

Capsid

The protein shell that encloses a viral genome. It may be rod-shaped, polyhedral, or more complex in shape.

Electron microscope

A microscope that focuses an electron beam through a specimen, resulting in resolving power a thousand-fold greater than that of a light microscope.

Envelope

A double layer of lipid surrounding the viral capsid.

Host cell

Cell on or in which smaller organisms or viruses live, feed, and reproduce.

Lysis

A process of disintegration or dissolution, as of cells.

Virion

A complete virus particle that consists of an RNA or DNA core with a protein coat sometimes with an external envelope and that is the extracellular infective form of a virus.

Virus

Any of a large group of submicroscopic infective agents that are regarded either as extremely simple microorganisms or as extremely complex molecules, that typically contain a protein coat surrounding an RNA or DNA core of genetic material but no cell membrane, that are capable of growth and multiplication only in living cells, and that cause various important diseases in humans, animals, or plants.

Antibiotic

A substance produced by or derived from a microorganism and able in dilute solution to inhibit or kill another microorganism.

Antiseptic

A substance (as hydrogen peroxide) that inhibits the growth or action of microorganisms especially in or on living tissue.

Contagious

An infectious disease communicable by contact with one who has it, with a bodily discharge of such a patient, or with an object touched by such a patient.

Epidemic

Affecting or tending to affect an atypically large number of individuals within a population, community, or region at the same time.

Immunity

A condition of being able to resist a particular disease especially through preventing reproduction of a pathogenic microorganism or by counteracting the effects of its products.

Infectious

Capable of causing infection.

Pandemic

Occurring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high proportion of the population.

Pathogenic

Causing or capable of causing disease.

Quarantine

A restraint upon the activities or travels of persons or the transport of goods that is designed to prevent the spread of disease or pests.

Sanitation

The promotion of hygiene and prevention of disease by maintenance of clean conditions.

Sterile

Free from living organisms and especially microorganisms.

Vaccination

The introduction into humans or domestic animals of microorganisms that have previously been treated to make them harmless for the purpose of inducing the development of immunity.

Virulent

Able to overcome bodily defense mechanisms to cause infection or disease.

Alpha-globin

The polypeptide chain of hemoglobin that is designated alpha.

Amino Acid

An organic molecule possessing both carboxyl and amino groups. Amino acids serve as the monomers of proteins.

Anemia

A condition in which the blood is deficient in red blood cells, in hemoglobin, or in total volume.

Beta-globin

The polypeptide chain of hemoglobin that is designated beta and that when deficient or defective causes various anemias (as beta-thalassemia or sickle-cell anemia).

Complication

A secondary disease or condition that develops in the course of a primary disease or condition and arises either as a result of it or from independent causes.

Hemoglobin

An iron-containing protein in red blood cells that reversibly binds oxygen.

Prognosis

The prospect of survival and recovery from a disease as anticipated from the usual course of that disease or indicated by special features of the case.

Protein

A three-dimensional biological polymer constructed from a set of 20 different monomers called amino acids.

Sickle cell

Deformed red blood cells that can lead to numerous symptoms and caused by a genetic mutation in the hemoglobin protein.

Symptom

Subjective evidence of disease or physical disturbance observed by the patient; for example a headache is a symptom of many diseases.

Trait

An inherited characteristic.

Autosome

A chromosome that is not directly involved in determining sex, as opposed to a sex chromosome.

Chromosome

Any of the usually linear bodies in the cell nucleus that contain the genetic material.

Contagious

Capable of being transmitted from person to person, animal to animal, animal to human, or human to animal by contact.

Dominant trait

A genetic trait is considered dominant if it is expressed in a person who has only one copy of the gene associated with the trait.

Gene

A discrete unit of hereditary information.

Genetic Material

Molecules responsible for heredity and variation of organisms.

Heredity

The transmission of traits from ancestor to descendant.

Karyotype

A display of the chromosome pairs of a cell arranged by size and shape.

Mutation

A rare change in the genetic material, ultimately creating genetic diversity.

Pedigree

A diagram of a family tree showing the occurrence of heritable characters in parents and offspring over multiple generations.

Recessive trait

A condition that appears only in individuals who have received two copies of a mutant gene, one copy from each parent.

Sex Chromosome

One of the pair of chromosomes responsible for determining the sex of an individual.

Adenine

A component of nucleic acids, energy-carrying molecules such as ATP, and certain coenzymes. Chemically, it is a purine base.

Buffer

A solution that minimizes changes in pH when extraneous acids or bases are added to the solution.

Cytosine

A component of nucleic acids that carries hereditary information in DNA and RNA in cells. Chemically, it is a pyrimidine base.

Gene

A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses).

Guanine

A component of nucleic acids that carries hereditary information in DNA and RNA in cells. Chemically, it is a purine base.

Helix

Something spiral in form.

Histone

A small protein with a high proportion of positively charged amino acids that binds to the negatively charged DNA and plays a key role in its chromatin structure.

Hydrogen bond

A type of weak chemical bond formed when the slightly positive hydrogen atom of a polar covalent bond in one molecule is attracted to the slightly negative atom of a polar covalent bond in another molecule.

Lysis

A process of disintegration or dissolution (as of cells).

Model

A simplified version of something complex used, for example, to analyze and solve problems or make predictions.

Nucleotide

A building block of DNA, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.

Supernatant

The liquid on top of material deposited by settling or centrifugation.

Thymine

A component of nucleic acid that carries hereditary information in DNA in cells. Chemically, it is a pyrimidine base.

Amino group

A functional group that consists of a nitrogen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms.

Carboxyl group

A functional group present in organic acids and consisting of a single carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and also bonded to a hydroxyl group.

Codon

A three-nucleotide sequence of DNA or mRNA that specifies a particular amino acid or termination signal; the basic unit of the genetic code.

Exon

A coding region of a eukaryotic gene. Exons, which are expressed, are separated from each other by introns.

Gene

A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA.

Hydrophilic

Having an affinity for water.

Hydrophobic

Having an aversion to water; tending to coalesce and form droplets in water.

Hydroxyl group

A functional group consisting of a hydrogen atom joined to an oxygen atom by a polar covalent bond. Molecules possessing this group are soluble in water and are called alcohols.

Intron

A non-coding, intervening sequence within a eukaryotic gene.

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

A type of RNA, synthesized from DNA and attaches to ribosomes in the cytoplasm; it specifies the primary structure of a protein.

Mutation

A rare change in the DNA of a gene, ultimately creating genetic diversity.

Nucleotide

The building block of a nucleic acid, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.