Glossary - Bioremediation against nuclear radiation

Acute radiation syndrome: A collection of acute health effects occurring within 24 h of 1 Sv (a unit of) radiation.

Adsorbent: A material capable of binding other substances to its surface.

Bioaccumulation: The process of accumulating a substance in the tissue of a living organism.

Detoxification: The process that changes toxins to less toxic substances.

Differentiation: The process of development in which a cell specialises to perform a specific function.

Genetic: Of, relating to, or produced by the basic hereditary units of life (genes).

Hydrolysis: Chemical reaction between a substance and water where chemical bonds are broken.

Oxidative damage: Damage caused by reactive oxygen species.

Pathogenic: Being able to cause disease.

Phosphatase: A group of enzymes that remove a phosphate group by hydrolysing the substance.

Promoter: The switch of a gene, which determines if a gene will be transcribed or not. In a way, a gene can be put on and off, by using the switch. There is an array of different promoters that are sensitive to specific internal and external stimuli, which makes the transcription of a gene dependent on the environment.

Protein: A generic term for molecules produced in cells, which can carry out an array of different functions. They consist of a sequence of molecules called 'amino acids'. This sequence is unique for every single protein and is determined by the DNA.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS): Chemically reactive molecules that contain oxygen. ROS are a natural by-product of oxygen reactions. ROS levels can increase during times of environmental stress, which can cause significant damage inside cells.