A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z #

A

A1C

A form of hemoglobin that is chemically linked to a sugar.

Agonist

Substance that binds to a receptor, producing a similar effect as the intended ligand.

Amplicon

DNA sequence that is amplified in PCR.

AMT

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation, integration bacterial DNA into a host plant cell for plant genetic engineering.

Auxotrophic

Characteristic of an organism that has lost the ability to synthesize certain substances required for their growth.

B

Beta Cell

Cells found within the pancreas responsible for insulin secretion.

Binding Affinity

The strength of a binding interaction between a receptor and a ligand.

Bioavailability

The amount of an administered drug present in circulation, enabling it to have an effect.

Bioencapsulation

The containment of a biologically active substance in a membrane to protect it from its environment.

BL21

Strain of E. coli used for protein production.

BSL-1

Biosafety Level 1. Laboratories at this safety level are characterized by solely working with microbes that are not known to consistently cause disease in healthy adults and present minimal potential hazards.

Blood Sugar

Measure of glucose concentrated in the blood.

C

C41

Strain of E. coli used for protein production.

Cut site

Location for post-transformation cleavage.

CRISPR-Cas9

A CRISPR-associated (Cas) endonuclease that acts as “molecular scissors” to cut DNA at a location specified by a guide RNA. CRISPR-Cas9 edits genes by precisely cutting DNA and then letting natural DNA repair processes take over.

Colony PCR

Polymerase chain reaction performed to verify genetic material within one, unqiue group of microorganisms.

D

DH10B

Strain of E. coli used for genetic expression.

DH5α

Strain of E. coli used for genetic expression.

Discord

A free Voice-over-IP and instant messaging social platform. Communities reside on persistent chat room “servers”, which contain categorical voice and text channels for organized media sharing and communication.

Dissociation Constant

An equilibrium constant representing the capacity for a molecular complex to separate into its constituents.

E

ELISA

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is a plate-based assay technique made for detecting and quantifying soluble substances such as peptides, proteins, antibodies, and hormones.

Enterokinase

A protease of the intestinal brush border that specifically cleaves the acidic propeptide from trypsinogen to yield active trypsin.

E. coli

E. coli (Escherichia coli), a gram-negative bacteria that is often used as a model organsim for synthetic biology due to its fast growth in cheap medium as well as being easily engineerable.

Eukaryote

Organisms with cells that have a nucleus and membrane bound organelles.

Ex-4

Exendin-4, a 39-amino acid peptide incretin.

F

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

The governmental organization tasked with monitoring food and drug safety in the United States.

Fractional Occupancy

The proportion of bound receptors to the total amount of receptors.

FPLC

Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography, a high performance chromatography machine.

G

GAL1 promoter

The GAL1 promoter is one of the strongest inducible promoters in the yeast S. cerevisiae. Commonly used for recombinant protein production.

Gastrointestinal Barrier

Mucus found within the intestine that prevents absorbance of unwanted contents while still allowing uptake of nutrients.

Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 (GLP-1)

An intestinal hormone that exerts profound effects in stimulating glucose-dependent insulin secretion.

Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor (GLP-1 R)

A protein involved in the control of blood sugar level by enhancing insulin secretion when bound to GLP-1.

Glucagon-Like Peptide 1 Receptor Agonist (GLP-1 RA)

A peptide that mimics the effects of GLP-1 on the GLP-1 R. Commonly prescribed as a T2D medication.

Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS)

A chemical or substance added to food that is considered safe by experts under the conditions of its intended use.

Golden Gate Assembly (GGA)

A modular assembly method by which multiple DNA fragments can be simultaneously integrated into a plasmid backbone without genetic scarring.

Glycemic Index

A system of assigning a number to carbohydrate-containing foods according to how much each food increases blood sugar.

Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum)

A species of venomous lizard native to the Southwestern United States.

G418

G418 Sulfate is an aminoglycoside related to Gentamicin and is toxic to bacteria, yeast, higher plants, mammalian cells, protozoans and helminths. G418 Sulfate is an effective selecting agent utilized in killing prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

H

Half-Life

The amount of time it takes for a substance to decrease its concentration by half.

Homologous Recombination

A type of genetic recombination in which information is exchanged between two similar or identical molecules of double-stranded or single-stranded nucleic acids.

Homology Region

Sequence designed to promote Homologous Recombination.

Histidine-tag (His-Tag)

A string of histidine residues used for identification and purification of protein.

I

Immobilized Metal-Affinity Chromatography (IMAC):

A procedure where peptides are separated according to their affinity for metal ions that have been immobilized by chelation to an insoluble matrix.

Incretin

Gut peptides that are secreted after nutrient intake and stimulate insulin secretion.

in silico

Experiments occurring on a computer, usually through a computer simulation.

in vitro

Experiments on cells and biological molecules outside of their natural context, occurring in a controlled setting such as a petri dish.

in vivo

Experiments occurring in whole living organisms such as a mouse, or a Gila monster.

Isopropyl-Beta-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside (IPTG)

A lactose metabolite that triggers transcription of the lac operon, and it is therefore used to induce protein expression where the gene is under the control of the lac operator.

J

K

Kilodalton (kD)

A measurement of weight for peptides and proteins.

L

L cells

Secrete GLP-1s, an incretin, peptide YY3-36, oxyntomodulin, and glucagon-like peptide-2.

LEU2

Leucine biosynthesis gene found in S. cerevisiae

Ligand

An atom or molecule that binds to a protein receptor.

M

M Cell

Cells found within the intestinal epithelium that direct antigens from the lumen to the underlying lymphoid tissue, often hijacked by pathogens to invade the host.

mg-int-leu2-kan-1420

LEU2 integrative S. cerevisea plasmid constructed by the Kamakaka Lab using the Yeast Moclo library[DOI: 10.1021/sb500366v], donated to our team by Dr. Rohinton Kamakaka.

mg-int-trp1-hyg-1432-4a

TRP1 integrative S. cerevisiae plasmid constructed by the Kamakaka Lab using the Yeast Moclo library[DOI: 10.1021/sb500366v], donated to our team by Dr. Rohinton Kamakaka.

Modular Cloning Library (MoClo)

Provides resources for easy, one-step constructions of yeast plasmids through GGA. Predesigned plasmid parts can be interchanged quickly, allowing for easy testing of multiple plasmid constructs.

Mutagenesis

The mutation of genetic material.

N

O

Octet Machine

A machine that measures binding affinity between a protein and its associated receptor.

Optical Density (OD)

Measurement of absorbancy.

P

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

A method used for amplification of a genetic sequence of interest

pET28:Ex-4

pET28:GFP backbone with Ex-4 gene insert.

PGK1

PGK1 terminator for S. cerevisiae.

pLEU

Simplified name for mg-Int-leu2-kan-1420 plasmid.

pTRP

Simplified name for mg-int-trp1-hyg-1432-4a plasmid.

pTRP:Ex-4

pTRP plasmid backbone with Ex4 gene insert.

pLEU:Ex-4

pLEU plasmid backbone with Ex4 gene insert.

Primer dimers

Primer dimers consists of two primer molecules that have attached (hybridized) to each other because of strings of complementary bases in the primers.

Promoter

A region of DNA that initiates transcription in various environmental conditions.

Plasmid

A circular piece of DNA typically found within bacteria.

Pharmacodynamics

The study of the effect of drugs and their underlying mechanisms.

Q

R

Receptor

A molecule in or on the surface of a cell that binds to a ligand, causing a specific effect.

Recombination

Method of combining genetic information from multiple species.

ROY 4513

S. cerevisiae strain containing wild type TRP1 gene. Donated to our team by Dr. Rohinton Kamakaka.

ROY 6783

S. cerevisiae strain containing wild type LEU2 gene. Donated to our team by Dr. Rohinton Kamakaka.

S

S. cerevisiae

Saccharomyces cerevisiae, commonly known as baker's yeast, is a species of yeast that is commonly used for wine-making, baking, and brewing.

Sanger Sequencing

A method for determining the nucleotide sequence of DNA

Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-PolyAcrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE)

Method of analyzing proteins by weight.

Shine-Dalgarno

Ribosomal binding unit found in bacterial and archaeal DNA.

Sticky Ends

A DNA structure where one strand is longer than the other, leaving some bases unpaired and hanging off the double stranded portion.

Surface Proteins

Proteins that are nested within or fully cross the cell membrane.

T

Type II Diabetes Mellitus (T2D)

A condition characterized by insulin resistance. This means that individuals with T2D are very susceptible to hyperglycemia.

TEV protease

Tobacco Etch Virus protease. Used in our experiment to cut the His-tag off of our GLP-1 R.

Tobacco Etch Virus

A plant virus in the genus Potyvirus.

Transformation

Method of transferring exogenous genetic material into a host cell.

TRP1

Tryptophan biosynthesis gene found in S. cerevisiae.

U

UCSC

University of California, Santa Cruz.

UCSF

University of California, San Francisco.

V

W

X

Y

Yeast Extract–Peptone–Dextrose (YPD)

Growth Media for yeast culturing.

Z

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