Mitosis

Mitosis – the process of nuclear division in cells that produces daughter cells that
are genetically identical to each other and to the parent.
Multiplexing – a sequencing approach that uses several pooled samples
simultaneously, greatly increasing sequencing speed.
Mutation – any inheritable change in DNA sequence.
Nucleic acid – a nucleotide polymer that DNA and RNA are major types.
Nucleotide – chemical units that are strung together in long chains to make DNA
molecules.
Nucleus – the cellular organelle in eukaryotes that contains the genetic material.
Oncogene – a gene, one or more forms of which is associated with cancer. Many
oncogenes are involved, directly or indirectly, in controlling the rate of cell growth.
Physical map – a map of the locations of identifiable landmarks on DNA. Distance
is measured in base pairs.
PCR (polymerase chain reaction) – an amplification process that yields millions
of copies of desired DNA through repeated cycling of a reaction involving the
enzyme DNA polymerase.
Peak height imbalance – a significant difference (usually 30% or more) in the
amount of signal obtained for two alleles from a single STR locus that might be
suggestive of more than one contributor to a sample.
Polymorphic – a locus is polymorphic if a population contains two or more
detectable alleles.
Polymorphism – difference in DNA sequence among individuals. Genetic
variations occurring in more than 1% of a population would be considered useful
polymorphisms for linkage analysis.
Population – a group of individuals residing in a given area at a given time.
Primer – short preexisting polynucleotide chain to which new
deoxyribonucleotides can be added by DNA polymerase.
Probe – single-stranded DNA or RNA of a specific base sequence, labeled either
radioactively or immunology, that are used to detect the complementary base
sequence by hybridization.
Proficiency tests – tests to evaluate the performance of technicians and
laboratories; in open tests, the technicians are aware that they are being tested, but
in blind tests, they are not.
Profiler Plus – PCR Amplification Kit (The AmpFLSTR® Profiler Plus™) that
provides human identification laboratories with the ability to generate information
for nine polymorphic STR loci and the Amelogenin locus.
Protein – a large molecule composed of one or more chains of amino acids in a
specific order; the order is determined by the base sequence of nuceotides in the
gene coding for the protein. Proteins are required for the structure, function, and
regulation of the body cells, tissues, organs, and each protein has unique functions.