100个常用生物技术术语解释（Glossary）.pdf

100 个常用生物技术术语解释（Glossary） This glossary contains about 100 commonly used biotechnology terms. Agrobacterium tumefaciens A common soil bacterium that causes crown gall disease by transferring some of its DNA to the plant host. Scientists alter Agrobacterium so that it no longer causes the disease but is still able to transfer DNA. They then use this altered Agrobacterium to ferry desirable genes into plants. Amino acid The fundamental building blocks of a protein molecule. A protein is composed of a chain of hundreds or thousands of amino acids. Our bodies can synthesize most of the amino acids. However, eight amino acids (called essential amino acids) must be obtained from food. Antibody A protein produced in response to the presence of a specific antigen. Antigen A foreign substance that elicits the production of antibodies. Anti-sense technology The use of an RNA molecule to block gene expression by interfering with protein production. This technique is used commercially in tomatoes to slow ripening for better shipping and longer shelf life Assay A method for determining the presence or quantity of a component B lymphocytes (B cells) . A type of cell that produces antibodies. Bacillus thuringiensis a naturally occurring bacterium with pesticidal properties. Bacillus thuringiensis produces a protein (Bt toxin) that is toxic only to certain insect larvae that consume it. Bacteriophage A virus that infects bacteria. Also called a phage. Bioassay A method of determining the effect of a compound by quantifying its effect on living organisms or their component parts. Biocatalyst 专心做生物 An enzyme that activates or sp-eeds up a chemical reaction. Biological control The use of one organism to control the population size of another organism. Biological mol生物秀ecules Large, complex molecules, such as p