in their actions than endotoxins. See also

ENDOTOXIN, TOXIN, GRAM-POSITIVE (G+).

Expected Progeny Differences (EPD)

Numerical rankings of (livestock) parental genetics, in terms of an animal’s genetic impact on progeny’s four following commercial traits:

1.Number of progeny born alive

2.Weight of progeny at weaning age

3.Number of days required to reach slaughter weight, when fed adequately

4.Carcass lean meat vs. fat percentages

EPDs allow a farmer to estimate differences in performance of future offspring (of a given parent) vs. offspring produced by parents of average genetic value. For example, a boar (male pig) possessing an EPD of –4 for “number of days required to reach slaughter weight” produces offspring that reach slaughter weight in four fewer days (of feeding time) than offspring that are sired by a boar possessing an EPD of 0. See also

GENETICS, TRAIT, PHENOTYPE, GENOTYPE, BEST

LINEAR UNBIASED PREDICTION (BLUP).

“Explosion” Method [to introduce foreign (new) genes into plant cells] A technique for gene-into-cell introduction in which the gene (genetic material) is driven into plant cells by the force of an explosion (vaporization) of a drop of water (to which the gene and gold particles have been added). The explosion is caused by application of high-voltage electricity to the drop of gene-laden water; the water is then vaporized explosively, driving the “shot” (gold particles) and genetic material through the cell membrane. The plant cell then heals itself (reseals the hole where the gene entered), incorporates the new gene into its genetic complement, and produces whatever product (e.g., a protein) for which the newly introduced gene codes.

See also AGROBACTERIUM TUMEFACIENS, CODING

SEQUENCE, GENETIC ENGINEERING, VECTOR,

“SHOTGUN” METHOD, GENE, GENOME, RIBOSOMES.

Express To translate the cell’s genetic information stored in the DNA (gene) into a specific protein (synthesized by the cell’s ribosome system). Certain proteins (i.e., when present in relevant cells) regulate the

expression (e.g., increase/decrease/timing) of some genes. See also GENE EXPRESSION CAS-

pressure (e.g., at the ocean bottom), salt saturation, (e.g., the Dead Sea), pH lower than 2 (e.g., coal deposits), pH higher than 11 (e.g., sewage sludge), high levels of radia-

tion, etc. See also BACTERIA, THERMOPHILIC BACTERIA, THERMOPHILE, THERMODURIC, DEINO-

COCCUS RADIODURANS.

Extremozymes Enzymes within the microorganisms (e.g., extremophilic bacteria) that E populate extreme environments. Because extremozymes can catalyze reactions under high pressure, high temperatures, etc., they are increasingly being used as catalysts for industrial processes. See also EXTREMOPHILIC

BACTERIA, ENZYME, ARCHAEA, PHYTO-MANUFAC-

TURING.

Ex vivo (testing) The testing of a substance by exposing it to (excised) living cells (but not to the whole, multicelled organism) in order to ascertain the effect of the substance (e.g., pharmaceutical) on the biochemistry of the cell. See also IN VITRO , IN VIVO .

Ex vivo (therapy) Removal of cells (e.g., certain blood cells) from a patient’s body, alteration of those cells in one or more therapeutic ways, followed by reinsertion of the altered cells into the patient’s body. See

also IN VITRO , IN VIVO .

F-Box Proteins Proteins produced (manufactured) within some eucaryotic cells, that play an essential role in the degradation (i.e., breakdown) of cellular regulatory proteins, after those regulatory proteins have “completed ther job” in the cell. See also PROTEIN,

CELL, EUCARYOTE.

F1 Hybrids The first-generation offspring of crossbreeding; also known as first filial hybrids. They tend to be more healthy, productive, and uniform than their parents. See

also GENETICS, HYBRIDIZATION (PLANT GENETICS).

FACS See F L U O R E S C E N C E A C T I V A T E D C E L L

SORTER (FACS).

Factor IX A protein factor in the blood serum that is instrumental in the cascade of chemical reactions (involving 17 blood components) that leads to clot formation, following a cut or other wound to body tissue. A deficiency of Factor IX is the cause of the disease known as hemophilia B (approximately 15% of all hemophilia patients). See also

FIBRIN, FIBRONECTIN, PROTEIN, CASCADE, FAC-

TOR VIII.

Factor VIII Also known as antihemophilic globulin (AHG) or antihemophilic Factor VIII. A protein factor in the blood serum that is instrumental in the “cascade” of chemical reactions (involving 17 blood components in the intrinsic pathway) that leads to clot formation following a cut or other wound to body tissue. Also, a deficiency of AHG is the cause of the classical type of hemophilia sometimes known as hemophilia AM (approximately 85% of all hemophilia

patients). See also FIBRIN, PROTEIN, FIBRONECTIN,

CASCADE, PATHWAY, FACTOR IX.

Facultative Anaerobe An organism that will grow under either aerobic or anaerobic con-

ditions. See also AEROBE, ANAEROBE, ORGANISM.

0-8493-XXXX-X/01/$0.00+$1.50 © 2001 by CRC Press LLC

F

acids of various “carbon chain” length. After the palmityl-CoA is elongated (i.e., made a longer molecule via addition of carbons to its molecular backbone) to become the (stearate-like) molecule oleoyl-ACP in a chemical reaction catalyzed by a palmioyl elongase enzyme, the oleoyl-ACP is transported to the plant’s endoplasmic reticulum.

In the endoplasmic reticulum, the oleoylACP is either further elongated (via the addition of more carbon atoms to the fatty acid’s molecular carbon chain “backbone”) or it is further desaturated (i.e., via desaturase-cata- lyzed removal of hydrogen atoms from that fatty acid molecule). Stearic acid (also known as stearate) is desaturated to become oleic acid, which can be desaturated to become linoleic acid, which can be desaturated to become linolenic acid. Three of the resultant fatty acid molecules are then chemically attached to a glycerol-3-phosphate molecule (with the cleaved-off phosphate atom “recycled” in the endoplasmic reticulum, for further utilization in the energy cycle of the cell).

The content levels of individual fatty acids vary somewhat with the diet of the animal (i.e., for animal fat) and vary somewhat with the plant’s growing conditions (i.e., for plant fat also known as vegetable oil). No natural fat is either totally saturated or unsaturated. When eaten, fats are generally not absorbed directly through the intestinal wall. They are first emulsified, then hydrolyzed by the lipase enzyme. The components (fatty acids, cholesterol, monoacylglycerol, phospholipids, etc.) form micelles that pass through the intestinal wall and are absorbed by the body. Such emulsification/micelle formation is aided by the nutrient lecithin (a component in soybeans). When fats are oxidized in cells, they provide energy for the body. Some of the energy is released as heat and some is stored in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which “fuels” metabolic processes. See also

FATTY ACID, HYDROLYSIS, HYDROLYTIC CLEAVAGE, HYDROLYZE, LIPASE, MONOUNSATURATED

FATS, SATURATED FATTY ACIDS, TRIGLYCERIDES,

TRIACYLGLYCEROLS, DIACYLGLYCEROLS, MICELLE,

CELL, METABOLISM, DIGESTION (WITHIN ORGAN-

ISMS), CHOLESTEROL, LIPIDS, LECITHIN, SOYBEAN

OIL, FREE FATTY ACIDS, OXIDATIVE STRESS, PLAS-

TID, ACP, OXIDATION (of fats/oils/lipids), PLASMA MEMBRANE, ENZYME, Ac-CoA, ENDOPLASMIC R E T I C U L U M , F A T T Y A C I D S Y N T H E T A S E ,

THIOESTERASE, DESATURASE, MITOCHONDRIA,

LAUROYL-ACP THIOESTERASE, STEAROYL-ACP

DESATURASE, ADIPOCYTES, ADENOSINE TRIPHOS-

PHATE (ATP), BILE ACIDS, PHOSPHATE TRANS-

PORTER GENES, PHOTOSYNTHESIS, OLEOSOMES,

STEARATE (STEARIC ACID), OLEIC ACID, LINOLEIC ACID, LINOLENIC ACID (a-linolenic acid), CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID (CLA).

Fatty Acid A long-chain aliphatic acid found in natural fats and oils. Fatty acids are abundant in cell membranes and (after extraction/purification) are widely used as industrial emulsifiers, e.g., phosphatidylcholine (lecithin).

In general, fats possessing the highest levels of saturated fatty acids tend to be solid at room temperature, and those fats possessing the highest levels of unsaturated fatty acids tend to be liquid at room temperature. That rule of thumb was the original “dividing line” between compounds called fats and oils, respectively. In general, saturated fatty acids tend to be more stable (resistant to oxidation and thermal breakdown) than unsaturated fatty acids. Fatty acids in biological systems (e.g., produced by plants in oilseeds) tend to contain an even number of carbon atoms in their molecular “backbone,” typically between 14 and 24 carbon atoms. The molecular backbone (alkyl chain) may be saturated (no double bonds) or it may contain one or more double bonds. The configuration of the double bonds in most unsaturated fatty acids is CIS. See also ESSENTIAL

FATTY ACIDS, LAURATE, PHYTOCHEMICALS, SATURATED FATTY ACIDS, LECITHIN, SOYBEAN OIL,

UNSATURATED FATTY ACID, MONOUNSATURATED FATS, POLYUNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS

LPAAT PROTEIN, STEAROYL-ACP DESATURASE,

SOYBEAN OIL, CANOLA, FATS, OLEIC ACID, TRANS

FATTY ACIDS, ENOYL-ACYL PROTEIN REDUCTASE,

MITOCHONDRIA, ADIPOCYTES, OLEOSOMES, DELTA 12 DESAT-

URASE, LINOLEIC ACID, LINOLENIC ACID, FATTY

ACID SYNTHETASE, CARNITINE, BIOTIN.

Fatty Acid Synthetase A group of seven related enzymes that catalyze synthesis (manufacturing) of fatty acids within the