Category: P

Also known as the pink bollworm, this is one of three insect species that is called “bollworms” (when they are on cotton plants). The holes that they chew in cotton plant’s bolls have been shown to enable the Aspergillas flavus fungus to infect those (chewed) cotton plants.  

A dominant gene which, when inserted into a plant’s genome, imparts resistance to glufosinate-ammonium containing herbicides. Because the glufosinate-ammonium herbicides act via inhibition of glutamine synthetase (an enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of glutamine), this inhibition of enzyme kills plants (e.g., weeds). That is because glutamine is crucial for plants to synthesize critically needed amino…

An immune response (to a pathogen) that results from injecting another organism’s antibodies into the organism that is being challenged by the pathogen. Disease resistance in a person or animal due to the injection of antibodies from another person or animal. Immunity which is acquired by a baby in the uterus or by a person…

A constant (number) that expresses the ratio in which a given solute will be partitioned (i.e., distributed) between two given immiscible liquids (e.g., oil and water) at equilibrium.  

An enzyme, produced by genetically engineered hamster cells, which is utilized by man in order to determine/test if a given substance is carcinogenic.  

A class of animal viruses, e.g., SV40 and polyoma. A family of viruses which start tumours, some of which are malignant, and some of which, such as warts, are benign. One of a group of small DNA containing viruses producing tumors (usually malignant) in animals (subgroup polyoma viruses) and nonmalignant tumors in animals and man…

A DNA molecule sequence that is the same when one strand of the molecule is read left to right and the other strand is read right to left. Words, phrases, or numbers that read the same forwards and backwards (e.g., “34543,” “mom,” “racecar”). In medicine, often refers to a nucleotide sequence on a DNA molecule…

An anticancer compound that was originally isolated from the Pacific yew tree. An antineoplastic drug. Paclitaxel (Taxol) is used to treat cancer of the ovaries and breast that has spread (metastasized), as well as certain types of lung cancer and a skin cancer associated with ADDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Paclitaxel works by interfering with the…

Formerly known as GMP-140 and PADGEM, it is a selectin molecule that is synthesized by endothelial cells before (adjacent) tissues are infected. Thus “stored in advance,” the endothelial cells can present P-selectin molecules on the internal surface of the endothelium within minutes after an infection (of adjacent tissue) begins. This presentation of P-selectin molecules attracts…

A transposon, whose genes (i.e., within this transposon) resist rearrangement during the process (i.e., transposition) of the P element being incorporated into a new location within an organism’s genome (i.e., its deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA). In addition to “carrying” genes to a new location(s) in genome, the P element itself-codes for transposase (an enzyme that…