Genetics and Molecular Biology Terms

The inherited cancer syndrome named for the polyps it does not produce, now generally called Lynch syndrome for exactly that reason.

A cell protein that binds a specific hormone.

Recurrence is what makes them useful, since a change seen repeatedly at one position is easier to test for and interpret.

A gene that may cause cancer when it is mutated (changed).

A protein involved in normal cell growth.

Ig is the abbreviation used in laboratory and immunology reports for immunoglobulin, the family of antibody proteins made by immune cells.

A protein found on the surface of some types of cells that binds to insulin-like growth factor (IGF).

Immunoglobulins are antibody proteins produced by immune cells to recognize and bind specific foreign targets such as bacteria, viruses, or toxins.

Every inherited change is genetic, but plenty of genetic changes are not inherited, and the difference decides who else is at risk.

A protein found on the surface of some types of cells that binds to insulin-like growth factor (IGF).

A gene that may cause cancer when it is mutated (changed).

Lactoferrin is an iron binding protein in milk and other secretions that helps limit bacterial growth as part of innate immune defense.

An address rather than a resident: the locus says where on the chromosome to look, and the allele says what is found there.

A protein found in many types of tumors but not in most normal tissues.

A protein that helps control several cell functions, including cell division and survival, and binds to rapamycin and other drugs.

A protein found in skin and eye cells that make melanin (a pigment that gives color to the skin and helps protect it from damage by ultraviolet light).

The division that halves the chromosome count and shuffles the deck, so no two eggs or sperm carry the same combination.

A protein found on normal melanocytes (cells that make the pigment melanin) in the skin and in the retina.

A protein found in skin and eye cells that make melanin (a pigment that gives color to the skin and helps protect it from damage by ultraviolet light).

A protein found in skin and eye cells that make melanin (a pigment that gives color to the skin and helps protect it from damage by ultraviolet light).