Restriction enzymes are enzymes that cut both single- and double-stranded DNA. Each restriction enzyme has a specific nucleotide sequence, called a restriction site, that it recognizes and cuts. Restriction enzymes are used for DNA sequencing,...
Herpes, according to a 2009 article in the journal "Antiviral Therapy," is a family of viruses that includes herpes simplex-1, herpes simplex-2, varicella zoster (shingles), herpes B, Epstein-Barr and other viruses. The viruses share several...
Despite the bad reputation sugar receives, this compound is actually fundamental to the function of the human body. The body naturally produces ribose sugar from glucose found in the foods you eat to facilitate the production of energy. Ribose...
Each cell within the body contains DNA, proteins, sugars and fats that support cellular function, and prove essential for supporting life. Processes within the cell are tightly regulated, and disrupting cell regulation can lead to damage and...
Chicken pox is also known as varicella. It is caused by a virus known as varicella-zoster. This is the same virus that causes shingles, also known as zoster. It is in the family of viruses known as human herpesviridae, or HHV. These are viruses...
The molluscum contagiosum virus infects the skin, causing clusters of small, raised growths. Common sites of the growths, or mollusca, include the skin folds of the arms and groin, and the chest, trunk, face and buttocks. The molluscum contagiosum...
Chemically, potassium bromide is quite simple. Composed of only one potassium ion and one bromide ion, potassium bromide nevertheless is extremely versatile. This white, odorless, crystalline compound with an extremely high melting point of 1346...
Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for about 7 million deaths every year, with an estimated 24 million people living with cancer. In the United States, an estimated 1.4 million new cases are expected for 2009, with well over...
In the U.S., an estimated 1.4 million new cases of cancer are expected for 2009, with well over 500,000 deaths. Cancer is the second leading cause of death. Although there is no cure for many cancer types, there have been steady advances in...
Ultraviolet (UV) light is a form of radiation that acts as a mutagen, an agent that causes mutations in DNA. Exposure to ultraviolet light causes chemical changes that alter the shape of your DNA, and the process that corrects DNA's shape can also...
The information contained in DNA is used by each cell to create the proteins needed for life, which support the cells of the body and help govern cell behavior. Mutations to DNA lead to changes in the proteins the cell produces, which modify the...
Nucleic acids are large biomolecules, and include both DNA and RNA. DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is genetic material. RNA, or ribonucleic acid, helps the cells make proteins from DNA. Both types of nucleic acids consist of building blocks called...
In day-to-day life, things such as electrical appliances, cell phone signals and ultraviolet rays from the sun expose tissues in the body to radiation. In small doses, exposure to radiation has little effect on the health of human tissues, while...
Present in the cells of all living things, ribonucleic acid or RNA is one of three types of biological molecules that perform critical functions within each cell. The others are deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, and protein. Although RNA and DNA are...
A purine is a type of organic compound that plays a critical role as a building block of genetic material called nucleotides. Nucleotides include the familiar double-helix strands such as DNA and RNA. Purines help form the molecular base pairs...
According to the American Society of Radiation Oncologists, two-thirds of all cancers are currently treated with some form of radiation. Radiation, or "radiotherapy," may be used as the primary treatment or as an adjunct to surgery or...
Purines are double-ringed structures that make up a part of DNA. DNA has four nitrogenous bases--adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. The two purines are guanine and adenine. These bases are found in protein diets.
Restriction enzymes are indispensable biotechnology tools originally discovered in bacteria. Restriction enzymes are essential in the manipulation of the DNA because they can cut the DNA double helix at specific sites through hydrolysis of the...
Colon cancer is the third leading cause of death in America. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 150,000 Americans will be diagnosed in 2010, and 50,000 will not survive. Treatments can include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy...
Breast cancer develops when mutated cells within the glandular tissue of the breast begin to proliferate out of control to give rise to unlimited numbers of cancer cells. One standard course of treatment for breast cancer is chemotherapy, using...
As different as each living organism may appear to be on the surface, all life is made up of basically the same molecules at the core. These molecules are formed by the way in which carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and other elements bond together....
