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Glossary
Allele
Alternate variations of a gene that occupy the same place on a chromosome and influence the same phenotypic characteristic
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Antigen
A substance that recognises a certain protein and elicits an immune response
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Antisense
A nucleotide sequence which is complementary to a targeted piece of RNA
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Apoptosis
Programmed cell death in which the contents of a cell are degraded without affecting any surrounding tissue
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Axons
A nerve fibre which conducts away from the cell body
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Base Sequence
The order of nucleotide bases in a DNA molecule
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Blastocyst
A ball of undifferentiated cells present at 4-5th day of development from which a prospective embryo develops
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Cell Cycle
A series of events that leads to a cell dividing and duplicating. It consists of four phases:
G1 phase: proteins are synthesised that are required for S Phase
S phase: DNA synthesis - all of the chromosomes are replicated
G2 phase: proteins are synthesised that are required in M phase
M phase:...
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Cell Fate
What a cell should become - it's chosen course of differentiation (not differentiation itself)
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Chromatin
A complex of DNA, RNA and proteins that forms chromosomes - heterochromatin is a condensed form and euchromatin is an extended form from which gene transcription can occur
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Differentiation
The process by which a cell becomes more specialised to perform a specific function
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Dominant
An allele that only requires one copy for it's phenotype to be observed
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Dorso-Ventral Patterning
Dorsal - the back of an animal where the backbone is located
Ventral - the front of an animal (opposite to dorsal)
Dorso-Ventral patterning = patterning of the axis between the back and front of an animal
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Embryogenesis
The formation of an embryo
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Floor Plate
A source of Shh in the developing neural tube - Shh expression is induced in the floor plate by the notochord ( a rod like structure underlying the neural tube)
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Fluorescence
Giving off light of one wavelength when illuminated with light of another wavelength
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Gene
A unit of heredity - a segment of DNA that is transmitted from one generation to the next
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Genome
The full DNA sequence of an organism
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Genotype
The genetic constitution of a cell - not an observable characteristic
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Growth Factor
A protein that promotes cell differentiation and growth