- ACE inhibitor: heart medication that increases the amount of blood your heart pumps and lowers blood pressure by dilating, or widening, your blood vessels
- Acrylamide gel: a medium for performing gel electrophoresis which contains long chains of amide groups
- Affinity chromatography: a method used to purify a biological material from a mixture utilizing the physical binding/interaction of two substances (eg. antibody and antigen, receptor and ligand, protein and nucleic acid, etc.)
- Amino acid: the structural units that form proteins
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme 1: a membrane-bound enzyme that converts angiotensin 1 into the active vasoconstrictor angiotensin 2
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2: a membrane-bound enzyme that converts angiotensin 2 into the vasodilator angiotensin 1-7
- Angiotensinogen: a protein (specifically a hormone) secreted by the liver that serves as the starting material for the production of angiotensin 1 and 2
- Antibody: a large, “Y” shaped protein that binds directly to one protein or antigen with high specificity
- Apoptosis: a form of programmed cell death which occurs throughout development and as a mechanism to eliminate damaged cells
- Beta-galactosidase: a family of enzymes that cleave β-galactosides into monosaccharides via the breaking of a glycosidic bond
- Buffer solution: an aqueous solution that resists changes in pH when small amounts of acid or base are added
- Cancer: an abnormal growth of cells which exhibit uncontrolled proliferation and, in some cases, metastasize and invade other tissues in the body
- Denature: disrupting the molecular conformation of a protein
- Detergent: a molecule with polar and nonpolar components that disrupts the hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions of biological substances (e.g. breaking apart a cell membrane)
- Eastern blot: a technique used to assess the presence of post-translational modifications such as phosphates, lipids, or carbohydrate epitopes
- Elution: the process of removing one substance from another, usually by addition of a solvent
- Fibroblasts: a type of cell that synthesizes the extracellular matrix and collagen fibers
- Fibrosis: the formation of an abnormal amount of fibrous tissue in an organ or other part of the body as the result of inflammation, irritation, or healing
- Fixing: preserving biological tissue by terminating cellular processes and stabilizing the structure of the cell or tissue
- Flow-through: a liquid (which pay or may not contain particles such as protein, salts, or other molecules) that has passed through a column
- Fluorophore: a chemical compound that can absorb and re-emit light
- Forward scatter: a measurement of cell size due to the conversion of light diffraction into an electrical signal
- Granularity: the internal complexity of a cell
- Granzymes: serine proteases released by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer cells (NK cells) that induce programmed cell death (apoptosis) in target cells
- Hypertension: high blood pressure
- Immunofluorescent staining: a laboratory technique that utilizes fluorescent-labeled antibodies to detect specific target antigens on or within cells and tissues
- Lyse: the breaking down of a cell due to damage of the outer cellular membrane
- Macrophage: a specialized type of white blood cell responsible for destroying bacteria and other harmful pathogens. These cells can also present antigens which activate other cells of the immune system
- Model organisms: a non-human species that can be studied to understand particular biological phenomena. The results from studies involving model organisms can be applied to humans
- Mutant analysis: observing changes in an organism that result from the presence of a genetic mutation
- Northern blot: a laboratory technique used to detect the presence of specific RNA molecules from a larger pool of RNA
- Perforin: a cytolytic protein produced by cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and natural killer cells (NK cells). When released, perforin polymerizes and forms pores in the plasma membrane of a target cell
- Permeabilizing: the process of making something porous
- Phenotype: a set of observable traits possessed by an organism that result from both genetic and environmental factors
- Phosphorylation: a reversible protein modification where a phosphate group is covalently attached to a protein. The phosphate group regulates the function of the protein
- Polymerase chain reaction: a laboratory technique used to amplify a specific region of DNA to a level that can be analyzed
- Primary antibody: a large, “Y” shaped protein that binds directly to one protein or antigen with high specificity
- Protein ladder: a set of protein standards used to estimate the size of experimental protein samples run during gel electrophoresis
- Pull-down assay: a type of affinity chromatography where one protein is purified from a mixture (prey) because if it’s affinity for an immobilized binding partner (bait protein)
- Quantitative polymerase chain reaction: a laboratory technique that monitors the amplification of a specific region of DNA (generated from an RNA template)
- Renin: an enzyme secreted by and stored in the kidneys, which facilitates the production of angiotensin from angiotensinogen
- Reverse transcriptase: an enzyme capable of generating complementary DNA (cDNA) from an RNA template
- Reverse transcription: the process by which an enzyme (reverse transcriptases) makes a copy of DNA from an RNA template
- Secondary antibody: a large, “Y” shaped protein that binds directly to the Fc region of a primary antibody
- Senescence: a state of permanent cell cycle arrest after sustained DNA damage
- Senescence-associated beta-galactosidase assay: a laboratory technique which relies on the native function of beta-galactosidase enzymes. These enzymes cleave a synthetic substrate which produces a blue color in senescent cells
- Senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP): the collection of secreted factors released by senescent cells
- Sheath fluid: a pH balanced buffer solution that runs through a flow cytometer at a constant flow rate allows for effective analysis of individual cells
- Side scatter: a measurement of the internal complexity of a cell based on the reflection and refraction of light
- Signal transduction: the transmission of cellular signals from the external environment to/through the internal environment of the cell
- Southern blot: a laboratory technique used to detect the presence of specific DNA sequence from a larger pool of DNA molecules
- Vasoconstrictor: a substance that constricts or closes the blood vessel which, in turn, increases blood pressure
- Vasodilator: a substance that dilates (opens) blood vessels, which allows blood to flow more easily
- Wash buffer: a solution with a designated pH that is used to remove impurities or excess substances from a reaction or mixture (eg. a wash buffer removes excess protein from a pull-down assay, and it removes it removes salt or cellular debris from nucleic acid extractions)
- Western blot: a technique used to detect specific proteins from a larger mixture
- Western blot membrane: a microporous substance which binds proteins
- Wild-type: a gene, strain, or specific characteristic that is most common among individuals in a natural setting (the “normal” gene, allele, or trait)
Menu
