Glossary

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Amino acids

Amino acids are organic acids with one or more amino groups. Amino acids are the basic structural units of proteins. In total 20 amino acids are used, above all, to form proteins.

Amino acid sequence

The combination of amino acids is also called the amino acid sequence. Proteins differ in their amino acid sequences.

Ashbya gossypii

The Ashbya gossypii fungus is a microorganism that produces vitamin B2 in its metabolism. This method of producing the vitamin is more efficient than chemical synthesis. Genetic engineering has further increased the performance of Ashbya gossypii.

Base

Bases (nucleic bases) are the information-carrying building blocks of nucleic acids (DNA, RNA). The most important nucleic bases are adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil.

Bioinformatics

Bioinformatics uses methods from information technology and mathematics to solve problems in biology. The decoding of genetic information leads to a vast quantity of data that have to be organized, analyzed and interpreted. Bioinformatics helps in this process by developing software for the sequencing of genes. By means of bioinformatics, existing databases can also be used to gain systematic insights into the structure and function of unknown genetic information.

Biocatalysis

Biocatalysis uses enzymes to accelerate chemical reactions. These reactions frequently occur under mild conditions; this means in water and at temperatures between 20 and 40 degrees Celsius. Both isolated enzymes and entire cells are used as so-called biocatalysts.

Biotechnology

Biotechnology is the targeted application of microorganisms, plants, cell cultures or isolated enzymes to produce chemical, agricultural and pharmaceutical products.

Breeding

In classical breeding, one attempts to provide plants with desired characteristics by selection of appropriate mates. However, the result is dependent on chance; modern biotechnology can provide organisms directly with specific traits.

Catalyst
In classical breeding, one attempts to provide plants with desired characteristics by selection of appropriate mates. However, the result is dependent on chance; modern biotechnology can provide organisms directly with specific traits.

Chiral products
Many chemical substances for medicines or crop protection products occur in two forms that are mirror images of each other, as the right hand is of the left hand. The "image" and "mirror image" can have completely different effects: for example, one form of the amino acid asparagine is used as a sweetness enhancer, while the other is perceived as bitter.

Chromosome

A chromosome is the structure made up of DNA and proteins which carries the majority of the genetic information of the cell.

Clone
Bacterial or cell colony that is formed though division of a single cell. All the cells in this colony are absolutely identical in genetic terms.

Codon
The term codon is derived from the word code. A codon is a sequence of three bases. The 64 different codons each contain information for an amino acid or a stop signal.

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