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a Related Biological Terms:

denaturing gel electrophoresis

(= sodium dodecyl sulphate/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis (SDS/PAGE))

denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE technique)

A method for detection of single base substitutions in DNA fragments. Putative mutant and normal double-stranded DNA fragments are applied along one edge of an agarose gel slab that contains a denaturing agent (e.g. urea and formamide) in a gradient perpendicular to the direction of electrophoresis. At a low concentration of the denaturant the fragments are more mobile, and at high concentration they are unfolded and therefore less mobile. The electrophoretic band describes a sigmoid curve on the developed gel; the denaturant concentration represents the mid-point of the curve and is characteristic of the sequence. Introduction of a GC-rich sequence, which is very stable to denaturation and thus acts as a GC clamp, into the DNA allows detection of mutations in the more stable regions of the DNA. Rossiter, B.J.F. and Caskey, C.T. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 12753-12756 Recommended reading: next generation sequencing

dendrogram

A phylogenetic tree.

density-gradient centrifugation

A technique to separate and/or characterize a macromolecule by high-speed centrifugation in a density gradient formed by the concentration gradient of a solute such as CsCl or sucrose. The macromolecule sediments until it reaches the zone of its own density. Also known as isopycnic centrifugation or zonal centrifugation.

deoxyribonucleic acid

(see DNA)

depurination

The cleavage of N-glycosidic bonds of DNA to form apurinic DNA.

desensitization

The loss of responsiveness of an enzyme to allosteric regulation while retaining its catalytic activity.

designability

A hypothetical property of a protein folding motif; its relative thermodynamic and evolutionary stabilities, i.e. resistance to denaturation and changes in its primary sequence, respectively. A motif is designable, because it can be achieved by a variety of amino-acid sequences, and therefore can be encoded by a variety of DNA sequences. designability encompasses foldability, a putative thermodynamic stability which is greater for any real motif than that for any other folded state that may be achieved by the same amino-acid sequence.Kardar, M. (1996) Science 273, 610 Recommended reading: next generation sequencing

desmolase

A desmolase is any of the various enzymes that catalyze the formation or destruction of carbon-carbon bonds within a molecule. These enzymes play a significant role in cellular respiration and fermentation. Desmolases are involved in steroidogenesis. Desmolase is an enzyme (as aldolase) capable of breaking or forming a carbon-to-carbon bond in a molecule and playing a role in respiration and fermentation. Desmolase can also be defined as an enzyme that oxidatively cleaves carbon-carbon bonds, e.g., the side-chain-cleaving enzyme that converts cholesterol into pregnenolone. The desmolase activity of the enzyme solution can be considerably reduced by repeated freezing and thawing. 17α-hydroxylase deficiency and 17,20-desmolase deficiency are rare causes of sexual infantilism and primary amenorrhoea that should usually be detected during infancy or childhood.

detergent (surfactant)

An amphipathic compound able to stabilize suspensions of non-polar materials in aqueous solution.

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