5,190 Matching Annotations
  1. Dec 2017
    1. Panther-defined pathway

      The HIF pathway is one of the molecular pathways used to regulate angiogenesis. The Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) proteins act as transcription factors by inducing the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) promoter. HIF proteins are activated as a result of low oxygen concentration. In normal conditions, the HIF protein is rapidly degraded by the actions of Von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor proteins. VHL proteins bind to hydroxylated HIF and targets HIF for proteasomal degradation. However, under hypoxia, HIF is no longer bounded to oxygen and VHL can’t bind to HIF, resulting in the activation of HIF. HIF can then induce angiogenesis by activating VEGF genes.

    2. priori candidates

      In genetics, candidate genes are genes that are likely to cause a disease due to their location or their protein products. Candidate genes are studies based on a priori knowledge. A priori knowledge is gained based on detective and derivative reasoning. Hence, a priori candidates are genes that cause disease and have been studied and analyzed.

    1. ectodysplasin A

      A protein involved in cell signaling between two layers of skin (ectoderm and mesoderm). It is especially important in embryo formation and promotes the formation of hair follicles, sweat glands, and teeth.

    1. (reasonable, because all aboveground biomass dies back each year in these perennial plants

      Perennial plants grow and bloom over the spring and summer, but die back every autumn and winter, This seasonal process involves the annual gain and loss of the biomass required for blooming.

    1. nonsynonymous substitutions

      Nonsynonymous substitutions are a nucleotide mutations that alters the amino acid sequence of a protein. These differ from silent mutations, because they alter the amino acid sequences. - Jake Barbee

    2. splicing

      Splicing refers to RNA gene splicing which is, the editing of new messenger RNA transcript into a mature messenger RNA. Splicing removes introns, joining together only the exons to create a mature mRNA. - Jake Barbee

    1. Aβ precursor protein (APP)

      Amyloid beta precursor protein (APP); The protein is found in many tissues and concentrated at the synapses of neurons.The protein itself is not dangerous, it is found in many tissues and concentrated at the synapses of neurons. Truncated forms of APP can form plaques that cause AB toxicity.

    2.  N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)–type glutamatergic receptors

      Receptor and ion channel protein found in neurons, which controls the ability of synapses to weaken or strengthen due to brain activity level and memory function.

    3. p38γ

      A kinase that helps transfer a phosphate group to a specific site on the tau protein. Each isoform of the p38 kinase phosphorylates tau at a different site. A kinase is a protein that catalyzes the transfer of a phosphate group to a specific site on a specific protein.

    4. Amyloid-β (Aβ) toxicity

      Amyloid beta is a short chain amino acid and is a main component of amyloid plaques that are associated with Alzheimer’s. Amyloid beta plaques are located outside of neurons. Amyloid beta plaques are composed of amyloid precursor protein (APP) that is truncated into a shorter form. Amyloid beta toxicity occurs when the build of of amyloid beta plaques becomes toxic to neural cells.

    5. Morris water maze (MWM) test:

      Mice are placed in a circular pool of water. In one of the quadrants, a hidden platform is present. The platform allows the mice to stand instead of swim.The mice are shown where the platform is and how to get to it multiple times. After showing the mice, the researchers put the mice somewhere in the four quadrants and track their movement as the mice attempt to find the platform. Time to escape can also be quantified. (https://www.jove.com/video/2920/morris-water-maze-test-for-learning-memory-deficits-alzheimers)

    6. Electroencephalography

      Electroencephalography (EEG), measures electrical activity of the brain Epileptiform: A wave on an EEG that is a sharp wave or spike that is a marker for patients with epilepsy or a focus of seizure studies.

    1. Human Genome Project

      The Human Genome Project was an effort to map and understand all of the genes that make up the human genome. Although it was announced complete in 2003, we still have much to learn about the genome.

  2. Nov 2017
    1. mean TDD ± s.e.

      Vertical lines in these graphs represent error bars, which represent the level of uncertainty in results. The larger the variation in data, the longer the error bars will be. These graphs have been created with 95% certainty.

      RW

    1. CYP2E1

      Is one of the member of the cytochrome P450 superfamily, and regulates metabolism of xenobiotics in the body. Xenobiotics are chemical compounds found in the body, but are not synthesized within the body.

    2. partial selective sweeps

      Beneficial mutations that increase an organism's survival and reproductive rate are favored by natural selection. That is, alleles that increase an individual’s fitness are increased in frequency. Eventually most beneficial mutations become fixed : their frequency will reach 1. However, mutations increase in frequency but don’t get fixed. Beneficial mutations that are nearly fixed result in partial selective sweep.

    3. positive selection

      When a specific trait is made more prevalent overtime in a population (the Tibetan highlands people in this case), because this trait increases the survival and reproduction of the person who expresses it.

    4. aerobic metabolism

      Cellular process where energy generated by the cell (in the form of ATP) is made through oxidative phosphorylation (the electron transport chain) where oxygen is the final electron acceptor.

    1. marine biotoxin okadaic acid

      This marine biotoxin is incredibly common in aquatic environments because of pollution and other factors. Thus it was important to investigate how it affects the DNA/chromatin of mussels. Researchers mapped out the specific effects of the biotoxin and compiled it in a database.

    2. models

      A model organism is a species with a fast regeneration time and a relatively simple genome. We try to find similarities between model organisms and complex ones in order to make a clinical use of the research. AT

    3. H2A.Z

      H2A.Z is another variant in the H2A family. It replaces the core H2A protein and is involved in gene silencing. It wraps the DNA tighter than a normal H2A protein would. It is also involved in sensing heat which can damage the DNA or proteins. AT

    4. macroH2A

      macroH2A is a variant that represses transcription (the transfer of genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA). It also works to inactivate the expression of alleles on one of the X chromosomes. AT

    5. variants

      A variant histone is a substitute protein that acts in place of a real histone protein. They have mutations that result in a functional group. A functional group is an additional group on a protein that carries out a particular job (ie. signal, attachment point, etc). AT

    6. Histones

      A protein structure that DNA winds around to compact the DNA into tight structures instead of being loose in the nucleus. The protein amino acid sequence has two tail ends, the N-terminal at the beginning and C-terminal at the end. For histones these ends act as receptors to a signal that tells them to either open up to allow transcription or close to inhibit transcription. AT

    1. imidacloprid

      Currently the most widely used pesticide in the world. It is used to control pests in agricultural crops and forests. It is also sold for home use, such as for gardening, killing household pests, and treating fleas in pets.

    2. ecosystem services

      Resources and benefits that humans receive from properly functioning environments (e.g., clean water, pollination, flood protection, waste decomposition, and recreational enjoyment).

    3. limits of quantification (LOQ)

      Different terms are used to standardize the question, "How much of chemical X does this sample contain?" The smallest concentration at which a chemical can be feasibly measured is known as the limit of detection, or LOD. The limit of quantification (LOQ) is the LOD plus any adjustment for known measurement bias or imprecision. LOQ can be thought of as the lowest LOD that can be made confidently.

      Because of different instruments and protocols, LOQs vary across studies, which may make comparison difficult. (See definition for "quantification thresholds" above.)

    4. Maximum residue levels (MRLs)

      A term used in food safety by the European Commission, a legal body of the European Union: "The traces pesticides leave in treated products are called 'residues.' A maximum residue level (MRL) is the highest level of a pesticide residue that is legally tolerated in or on food or feed when pesticides are applied correctly."

    5. quantification thresholds

      Sensitivity in detecting a chemical of interest. Varying quantification thresholds make comparisons across studies difficult, because there is no standardized baseline measurement. For example, if Lab A uses an instrument that is much more sensitive than Lab B's, then Lab A may report measurements that were too low for Lab B to detect. As a result, Lab B will appear to report higher results than Lab A. (See definition for "limit of quantification (LOQ)" below.)

    1. Carcharhinid sharks

      There are 50 species of carcharhinid sharks that can be grouped into 12 different genera. If the shark follows a migration path, stays in generally warm waters, and contains the stereotypical shark look, it can be considered a carcharhinid shark. - Alejandro

    2. spatial abundance pattern

      Spatial and temporal abundance patterns relate to the study. Temporal abundance pattern has to do with quantity over a period of time and spatial abundance patterns have to do with quantity over a particular area of space. -Sindy

    3. site-fidelity

      Side-fidelity, also known as philanthropy, is the likelihood of a particular organism to stay in a set habitat, or to return to it. There are many reasons to this, such as breeding and food abundance. -Sindy

    1. parapatric distribution

      Parapatric distribution refers to a distributional pattern where pairs of taxa are partially overlapping or have separate but adjacent distributions, typically along common boundaries.

      -Angela Mujica

    2. Protium subserratum Engl.

      The Protium subserratum Engl. is the name of a species that has distinct defense mechanisms and is in the genus Protium, which are flowering plants in the family Burseraceae.

      -Angela Mujica

    1. BEM

      Stands for "boundary element model", which is used to model electric field structure based on the electric organ and to deduce electric field source poles from an electric field.

    2. electroreception

      " the ability to detect weak naturally occurring electrostatic fields in the environment. Electroreception is found in a number of vertebrate species, including the members of... of teleosts (a group of ray-finned fishes) and...Electroreception facilitates the detection of prey or other food sources and objects and is used by some species as a means of social communication." (Hopkins,2017)

      -This excerpt provides a brief synopsis of what electroreception is and explains its relevance to the experiment discussed in this article.

      https://www.britannica.com/science/electroreception