Term | Definition |
Fluorometer | An instrument that measures the amount or type of light emitted |
Organism | A living thing |
Cell | The smallest unit of life that makes up all living organisms |
Escherichia coli | A bacterium that is commonly used by biotechnology companies for the development of products |
Multicellular | composed or more than 1 cell |
Cytology | Cell biology |
Anatomy | The structure and organization of living things |
Physiology | The processes and functions of living things |
Respiration | The breaking down of food molecules with the result of generating energy for the cell |
Unicellular | Composed of one cell |
Tissue | A group of cells that function together |
Organ | Tissues that act together to form a specific function in an organism |
Proteins | One of the four classes of macromolecules; folded, functional polypeptides that conduct various functions within and around a cell |
Eukaryotic/Eukaryote | A cell that contains membrane bound organelles. |
Protist | An organism belonging to the kingdom Protista, which includes protozoans, slime molds, and certain algae |
Organelles | Specialized microscopic factories, each with specific jobs in the cell |
Mitochondria | The membrane-bound organelles that are responsible for generating cellular energy |
Sugar | A simple carbohydrate molecule composed of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen |
Nucleic Acids | A class of macromolecules that directs the synthesis of all other cellular molecules; often referred to as "information-carrying molecules" |
Lipids | One of the four classes of macromolecules; includes fats, waxes, steroids, and oils |
Pancreas | An organ that secretes digestive fluids, as well as insulin |
Hormone | A molecule that acts to regulate cellular functions |
Chlorophyll | The green-pigmented molecules found in plant cells; used for photosynthesis |
Photosynthesis | A process by which plants or algae use light energy to make chemical energy |
Chloroplast | The specialized organelle in plants responsible for photosynthesis |
Cytoplasm | A gel-like liquid made of thousands of molecules suspended in water, outside the nucleus |
Lysosome | A membrane-bound organelle that is responsible for the breakdown of cellular waste |
Ribosome | The organelle in a cell where proteins are made |
Cell Wall | A specialized organelle surrounding the cells of plants, bacteria, and some fungi; gives support around the outer boundary of the cell |
Cellulose | A structural polysaccharide that is found in plant cell walls |
Plasma Membrane | A specialized organelle of the cell that regulates the movement of materials into and out of the cell |
Glucose | A 6-carbon sugar that is produced during photosynthesis reactions; usual form of carbohydrate used by animals, including humans |
Adenosine Triphosphate | A nucleotide that serves as an energy storage molecule |
Nucleus | A membrane-bound organelle that encloses the cell's DNA |
Chromosomes | The long strands of DNA intertwined with protein molecules |
Enzyme | A protein that functions to speed up chemical reactions |
Pigments | The molecules that are colored due to the reflection of light of specific wave lengths |
Messenger RNA | A class of RNA molecules responsible for transferring genetic information from the chromosomes to ribosomes where proteins are made; often abbreviated mRNA |
Amino Acids | The subunits of proteins; each contains a central carbon atom attached to an amino group , a carboxyl group, and a distinctive "R" group |
Polypeptide | A strand of amino acids connected to each other through peptide bonds |
Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells | An animal cell live commonly used in biotechnology studies |
Vero Cells | African green monkey kidney epithelial cells |
HeLa Cells | Human epithelial cells |
Prokaryotic/Prokaryote | A cell that lacks membrane-bound organelles |
Aerobic Respiration | Utilizing oxygen to release the energy from sugar molecules |
Anaerobic Respiration | Releasing the energy from sugar molecules in the absence of oxygen |
Macromolecule | A large molecule usually composed of smaller repeating units chained together |
Organic | Molecules that contain carbon and are only produced by living things |
Carbohydrates | One of the four classes of macromolecules; organic compounds consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, generally in a 1:2:1 ratio |
Cytoskeleton | A protein network in the cytoplasm that gives the cell structural support |
Monomers | The repeating units that make up polymers |
Polymer | A large molecule made up of many repeating sub units |
Monosaccharide | The monomer unit that cells use to build polysaccharides; also known as "single sugar" or "simple sugar" |
Disaccharide | A polymer that consists of two sugar molecules |
Polysaccharide | A long polymer composed of many simple sugar monomers |
Fructose | A 6-Carbon sugar found in high concentration in fruits; also called fruit sugar |
Sucrose | A disaccharide composed of glucose and fructose; also called table sugar |
Lactose | A disaccharide composed of glucose and galactose; also called milk sugar |
Amylose | A plant starch with unbranched glucose chains |
Amylopectin | A plant starch with branched glucose chains |
Glycogen | An animal starch with branched glucose chains |
Cellular Respiration | The process by which cells break down glucose to create other energy molecules |
Deoxyribose | The 5-Carbon sugar found in DNA molecules |
Ribose | The 5-Carbon sugar found in RNA molecules |
Hydrophobic | Repelled by water |
Triglycerides | A group of lipids that includes animal fats and plant oils |
Phospholipids | A class of lipids that are primarily found in membranes of the cell |
Hydrophilic | Having an attraction to water |
Steroids | A group of lipids whose functions include acting as hormones, venoms, and pigments |
R Group | The chemical side-group on an amino acids; in nature, there are 20 different R groups that are found in amino acids |
Ribonucleic Acid | The macromolecule that functions in the conversion of genetic instructions (DNA) into proteins |
Nucleotides | The monomer subunits of nucleic acids |