Glossary

H2AX is a histone, one of the proteins found in nucleosomes; γH2AX is H2AX that has been phosphorylated on serine 139, a marker of DNA double-strand breaks

Specific variant (sequence) of a gene

A protein that binds very specifically to a protein of interest, normally produced by an organism's adaptive immune system to protect against pathogens, but also used in a variety of biotechnological applications

A form of programmed cell death

An investigative analytic procedure

A serine-threonine kinase whose mutations are responsible for the disorder ataxia–telangiectasia; recruited and activated by double-stranded DNA breaks, leading to the activation of a genome maintenance program

Ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related protein, a serine/threonine kinase involved in repair of single-strand DNA breaks

Naturally occurring fluorescence from cells or tissues that is not due to specific binding of a fluorescently labeled antibody

A synthetic DNA molecule in which the sequence of bases is complementary to that of a given piece of DNA

Orderly sequence of events leading up to and during cell division; includes G1, S, G2 and M phases

Chemical that attracts cells

Touching, completely covering the plastic bottom of a culture vessel

4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole, used to label DNA (and therefore the nucleus) in fluorescence microscopy

In reference to proteins, the loss of all structure except primary structure; in reference to nucleic acids, separation into individual strands with no base-pairing

Deoxyuridine triphosphate, one of the dNTPs added to a growing DNA strand

Expressed from a plasmid transfected into a cell rather than from the endogenous gene

Remove (an adsorbed substance) by washing with a solvent, especially in chromatography

Preserved in a way that stops all reactions and increases the stability of a sample; fixed samples are no longer living

The process of genes being transcribed into RNA; Cells only express a fraction of available genes at any given time

Green fluorescent protein

A nine amino acid sequence from the influenza hemagglutinin protein; if a protein is expressed from a genetically-modified gene, the HA-tag can be added to make detection easier

Capable of dividing indefinitely in cell culture

Any use of an antibody-based method to detect a specific protein in a sample

The entire contents of a cell, released by breaking open the plasma membrane

Gaining the properties of a cancer cell

Mouse embryonic fibroblasts, for growing in cell culture

Spread of cancer cells from the site of the primary tumor into other tissues

Single layer, not growing on top of one another

When referring to tumors in mice, this means the cells have been implanted in the physiologically relevant location to form a tumor. They can be contrasted to xenograft or autochthonous tumors.

Small, circular, extrachromosomal DNA molecule that can replicate independently

Proteins are one class of biological macromolecules. They are made of amino acid building blocks and have many biological functions including catalysis, structure, transport, signaling, and others.

A substance used in an analytical procedure

Cuts DNA at a particular sequence

Replication protein A; coats single-stranded DNA in eukaryotic cells; ssDNA is formed routinely during DNA replication

Phase of the cell cycle when DNA replication occurs (DNA synthesis phase)

A gene that has been transferred from one organism to another; for instance, a human gene expressed in a genetically engineered mouse

DNA molecule used to transport exogenous genetic material into a cell