Title: Unit 8 Key Terms
Course: SAT 170 Introductory Biotechnology > Section: SAT 170 Introductory Biotechnology

Unit 8 Key Terms

Terms

Term | Definitions
Adult stem cell | a type of stem cell located in the tissues and organs of adults which are used for repair, regeneration and growth of those tissues and organs; these cells are pluripotent
Aseptic Technique | a set of practices that are used in the laboratory setting to inhibit contamination by microorganisms, especially in cell and tissue cultures
Bioreactor | a vessel or chamber that is used to grow living organisms or support biological processes
Cell Culture | cells grown in an artificial environment with the use of nutrient rich media and the appropriate environmental conditions
Cloning | in the context of biotechnology, cloning is a process or set of methods used to make identical copies of DNA fragments (known as molecular cloning), cells or organisms
Culture Medium | liquid or gel designed to support the growth of cells
DNA methylation | an epigenetic modification where methyl chemical groups are attached to DNA nucleotides altering the accessibility of those nucleotides
Enucleation | the removal of the nucleus from a cell
Epigenetics | the study of modifications to the genome that do not alter the DNA itself, but rather how that DNA is expressed
Grafting | a form of plant cloning where a portion of one plant is removed and joined with the root system of another plant
Histone acetylation | an epigenetic modification where acetyl chemical groups are attached to the histone proteins that associate with DNA
Induced pluripotent stem(iPS) cell | a type of stem cell which is generated as a differentiated cell is reprogrammed into its undifferentiated state
Micropropagation | modern plant cloning method which involves transferring cells or tissues from a plant to the appropriate growth medium
Nutrient Agar | growth medium used for the routine growth of non-fastidous bacteria
Plant Cutting | a form of plant cloning where a portion of a plant (often a stem or root) is removed from the original plant and placed in the appropriate conditions for it to grow into a new complete plant
Pluripotent | the ability to differentiate into many different cell types
Primary Cells | a sample of cells that has been collected from an organism to establish a primary cell culture
Sabouraud Agar | growth medium which inhibits the growth of many bacteria and promotes the growth of fungal organisms
Senescence | a resting stage for cells where they stop dividing to produce new cells
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) | a technique used to generate animal clones where the nucleus from a somatic cell is used to replace the nucleus of an enucleated egg
Tissue Culture | tissue grown in an artificial environment, separate from an organism, with the use of nutrient rich media and the appropriate environmental conditions
Totipotent | the ability to differentiate into any cell type