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Glossary infobadge

This glossary contains a number of definitions  from the following publication:
J. M. Cock; Tessmar-Raible, K.; Boyen, C.; Viard, F. (Eds.), Introduction to Marine Genomics, vol. 1, 1st ed., Advances in Marine Genomics Vol. (Springer, 2010). Available from: http://www.springer.com/life+sciences/ecology/book/978-90-481-8616-7?cm_mmc=Google-_-Book%20Search-_-Springer-_-0

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Term Definition
p-value

The result of a statistical test can be summarised using a p-value as a measure of significance. It can be described as the confidence in the rejection of the null-hypothesis. In the case of microarrays, p-values are often used to assess whether a gene is differentially expressed.

PAMP

Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns; Small molecular motifs conserved within a class of microbes; LPS (see above) is considered to be the prototypical PAMP.

Pangenome

Unique set of proteins for a given species. In bacteria, the pangenome can be twice the size of the genomes of individual members of a species.

Paralogue

Homologous sequences that have been separated by a gene duplication event in an ancestral genome are called paralogous. Paralogous genes may mutate and acquire new functions because the original selective pressure is reduced.

PCR

Polymerase chain reaction. A technique for replicating a specific piece of DNA in-vitro. Oligonucleotide primers are added (which initiate the copying of each strand) along with nucleotides and Taq polymerase By cycling the temperature, the target DNA is repeatedly denatured and copied allowing it to be amplified in an exponential manner.

PDB

Protein Data Bank. A single worldwide repository for the processing and distribution of 3D biological macromolecular structure data.

Phytoplankton

The photosynthetic organisms present in the plankton.

Picoeukaryotes

Microscopic eukaryote species with a cell size of less than 3 µm.

Primary endosymbiosis

Used to describe the initial capture of a cyanobacterium by a eukaryotic cell that gave rise to the algae (see also endosymbiosis).

Primer

Small oligonucleotide (anywhere from 6 to 50 nucleotides long) used to prime DNA synthesis.

Probe/Reporter

An oligonucleotide attached to the surface of a microarray.

Proteomics

High-throughput analysis of the proteins present in a cell type, a tissue or an organism.

Pseudogene

A gene that is no longer functional either because its protein-coding sequence is disrupted or because it is no longer expressed.

PTM

Post-transcriptional modification. Alterations made to pre-mRNA before it leaves the nucleus and becomes mature mRNA.

Pyrosequencing

Massively parallel DNA sequencing technique without the requirement of a prior cloning of the DNA.

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