A - E     F - J      K - O     P - T

A - E (to top)

ABL
gene located on chromosome 9, commonly fused with the BCR gene, contributing to the development of chronic myelogenous leukaemia

Allele
one of many forms of a single gene

Antibody
Y-shaped proteins, secreted by immune cells, that bind to specific regions of antigen molecules through the antigen binding site

Antigen
any substance or infective agent that can induce an immune response

Antigen Binding Site
region of a molecule responsible for binding to a specific region of an antigen molecule

Breakpoint Cluster Region (BCR)
gene located on chromosome 22 often involved in translocation events with the ABL gene on chromosome 9 with oncogenic effect

Chromatin
complex of DNA, RNA and various proteins that makes up the chromosomes in the cell nucleus

Chromosomal Translocation
the process by which a portion of one chromosome detaches and becomes attached to another chromosome, resulting in genetic mutation

Confidence Interval
in statistics, a way of numerically expressing the level of confidence about a result; usually stated to within 95%

Confounding Variables
characteristics of patients/subjects that, if unevenly distributed between groups, can influence the results of a study

Deprivation Index
summary measure of socio-economic status based on information about car ownership, overcrowding and unemployment, for example

Diploid
having two copies of each chromosome

Exon
the sequence(s) of nucleotides within a gene that code for a part of that gene's protein product

Folate
derivative of folic acid

Genotoxic
directly damaging to DNA leading to genetic mutation and occassionally to the development of cancer

Haematopoeisis
the formation of blood cells from stem cells in the bone marrow

Haploid
having one copy of each chromosome

Heterozygous
posessing two different copies of the same gene

HLA
Human Leukocyte Antigen- family of molecules present on the surface of cells allowing them to be distinguished from another person's cells (a.k.a. major histocompatability antigens)

Homozygous
posessing two identical copies of the same gene

Hyperdiploid
having more than the usual diploid number (46) of chromosomes in a cell

Immune Response
any of the body's reactions to an antigen

Imprinting
regulation of expression of a gene dependant on whether it was inherited from the mother or the father

Intron
sequence(s) of nucleotides within a gene that do not code part of that gene's product

Ionising Radiation
radiation causing ionisation (the production of ions from neutral atoms) in the substance it passes through

K - O (to top)

Karyotypes
the chromosomes of individuals arranged according to size

Locus
position of a gene on a chromosome

Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (MTHFR)
enzyme involved in the metabolism of folic acid

Molar Pregnancy
abnormal growth of the placental cells resulting in a non-viable pregnancy

NAD(P)H:quinone Oxidoreductase (NQO1)
an important enzyme acting to detoxify environmental carcinogens

Neonatal
relating to newborn infants in the first four weeks of life

Neoplasm
tumour

Nucleotide
the basic units of DNA and RNA comprising a phosphate group, one of four bases (cytosine, guanine, adenine or thymidine [replaced by uracil in RNA]) and a pentose (5-carbon) sugar (deoxyribose in DNA; ribose in RNA)

Odds Ratio
in statistics, a way of numerically expressing a measure of the degree of association

Oncogene
gene, that when mutated, contributes to the development of cancer e.g. p53, BRC

Oncogenic
tumour- forming

P - T (to top)

PCR
Polymerase Chain Reaction- reaction used to produce many copies of a fragment of DNA from a few copies

Periconception
around the time of fertilisation

Polymorphic
having more than one version

Power-Frequency Electric Fields
the electrical component of a power-frequency electromagnetic field

Power-Frequency Electromagnetic Field
magnetic and electric fields, paired together, produced by electrical currents changing at power frequency (50 Hz)

Power-Frequency Magnetic Fields
the magnetic component of a power-frequency electromagnetic field

Quinone Moiety
chemical group within a molecule with the formula C6H4O2

Reverse- Transcriptase
enzyme of retroviral origin capable of constructing double-stranded DNA from an RNA template

Socio-Economic Status (SES)
an assessment of a household's social and economic ranking in the population