100 Abbreviations in Biochemistry You Must Know.

100 ABBREVIATIONS IN BIOCHEMISTRY YOU MUST KNOW

Biochemistry is a field rife with complex terminology and concepts. To navigate this intricate landscape more efficiently, scientists and students alike rely heavily on abbreviations. These shorthand notations not only save time but also serve as a universal language within the scientific community. In this blog post, we’ll explore some of the most crucial abbreviations every biochemistry enthusiast should have in their arsenal.

The following and amongst others are 100 important biochemistry abbreviations and their meanings:

 

1. DNA: Deoxyribonucleic Acid
2. RNA: Ribonucleic Acid
3. ATP: Adenosine Triphosphate
4. ADP: Adenosine Diphosphate
5. AMP: Adenosine Monophosphate
6. NAD: Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide
7. NADH: Reduced form of NAD
8. NADP: Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate
9. NADPH: Reduced form of NADP
10. FAD: Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide
11. CoA: Coenzyme A
12. GTP: Guanosine Triphosphate
13. GDP: Guanosine Diphosphate
14. GMP: Guanosine Monophosphate
15. CTP: Cytidine Triphosphate
16. CDP: Cytidine Diphosphate
17. CMP: Cytidine Monophosphate
18. UTP: Uridine Triphosphate
19. UDP: Uridine Diphosphate
20. UMP: Uridine Monophosphate
21. cAMP: Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate
22. cGMP: Cyclic Guanosine Monophosphate
23. ELISA: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
24. PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction
25. SDS-PAGE: Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis
26. HPLC: High-Performance Liquid Chromatography
27. NMR: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
28. EPR: Electron Paramagnetic Resonance
29. CD: Circular Dichroism
30. MS: Mass Spectrometry
31. FACS: Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting
32. FRET: Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer
33. FISH: Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization
34. ChIP: Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
35. RNAi: RNA Interference
36. CRISPR: Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats
37. EM: Electron Microscopy
38. cryo-EM: Cryo-Electron Microscopy
39. MALDI: Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization
40. TOF: Time of Flight
41. ESI: Electrospray Ionization
42. FTIR: Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy
43. UV-Vis: Ultraviolet-Visible Spectroscopy
44. CD: Circular Dichroism
45. ORF: Open Reading Frame
46. mRNA: Messenger RNA
47. tRNA: Transfer RNA
48. rRNA: Ribosomal RNA
49. snRNA: Small Nuclear RNA
50. miRNA: MicroRNA
51. siRNA: Small Interfering RNA
52. lncRNA: Long Non-Coding RNA
53. RISC: RNA-Induced Silencing Complex
54. RNase: Ribonuclease
55. DNase: Deoxyribonuclease
56. RT-PCR: Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction
57. qPCR: Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction
58. EMSA: Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay
59. 2D-PAGE: Two-Dimensional Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis
60. IEF: Isoelectric Focusing
61. MOPS: 3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid
62. HEPES: 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid
63. Tris: Tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane
64. EDTA: Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid
65. EGTA: Ethylene Glycol Tetraacetic Acid
66. DTT: Dithiothreitol
67. BME: β-Mercaptoethanol
68. PMSF: Phenylmethylsulfonyl Fluoride
69. BSA: Bovine Serum Albumin
70. FBS: Fetal Bovine Serum
71. PBS: Phosphate-Buffered Saline
72. DMSO: Dimethyl Sulfoxide
73. PEG: Polyethylene Glycol
74. IPTG: Isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside
75. X-gal: 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-β-D-galactopyranoside
76. ONPG: ortho-Nitrophenyl-β-galactoside
77. DAPI: 4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole
78. GFP: Green Fluorescent Protein
79. RFP: Red Fluorescent Protein
80. YFP: Yellow Fluorescent Protein
81. CFP: Cyan Fluorescent Protein
82. BFP: Blue Fluorescent Protein
83. FRAP: Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching
84. FLIP: Fluorescence Loss In Photobleaching
85. TIRF: Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence
86. STORM: Stochastic Optical Reconstruction Microscopy
87. PALM: Photoactivated Localization Microscopy
88. STED: Stimulated Emission Depletion
89. AFM: Atomic Force Microscopy
90. SPR: Surface Plasmon Resonance
91. ITC: Isothermal Titration Calorimetry
92. DSC: Differential Scanning Calorimetry
93. CD: Circular Dichroism
94. LD: Linear Dichroism
95. SAXS: Small-Angle X-ray Scattering
96. WAXS: Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering
97. EXAFS: Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure
98. XANES: X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure
99. PDB: Protein Data Bank
100. BLAST: Basic Local Alignment Search Tool

 

 

WHY YOU MUST KNOW THESE ABBREVIATIONS IN BIOCHEMISTRY

 

DNA and RNA: The Genetic Alphabet

 

Let’s start with the basics. DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) and RNA (Ribonucleic Acid) are perhaps the most recognizable abbreviations in biochemistry. These molecules are the foundation of genetic information in all living organisms.

 

– DNA: The double-helix structure that carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth, and reproduction of all known organisms.

– RNA: A single-stranded nucleic acid that plays various roles in coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes.

 

 ATP: The Energy Currency

 

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) is often referred to as the “energy currency” of the cell. This high-energy molecule is essential for numerous cellular processes, including:

 

– Muscle contraction

– Nerve impulse propagation

– Chemical synthesis

 

Understanding ATP is crucial for grasping concepts related to cellular metabolism and energy transfer.

 

 Amino Acids: The Building Blocks of Proteins

 

Amino acids are the fundamental units of proteins. There are 20 standard amino acids, each with its own three-letter and one-letter abbreviation. Some common examples include:

 

– Ala (A): Alanine

– Cys (C): Cysteine

– Asp (D): Aspartic Acid

– Glu (E): Glutamic Acid

– Phe (F): Phenylalanine

 

Memorizing these abbreviations is essential for anyone working with protein structures or sequences.

 

 NADH and FADH2: Electron Carriers

 

These coenzymes play a vital role in cellular respiration:

 

– NADH (Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide): A key electron carrier in metabolic reactions.

– FADH2 (Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide): Another important electron carrier, particularly in the citric acid cycle.

 

 Enzymes and Kinetics

 

Enzymes are the catalysts of biochemical reactions, and understanding their abbreviations is key to grasping metabolic pathways.

 

– EC: Enzyme Commission number, a numerical classification scheme for enzymes

– Km: Michaelis constant, representing the substrate concentration at which the reaction rate is half of Vmax

– Vmax: Maximum reaction velocity, the rate of the enzyme reaction at saturating substrate concentration

– kcat: Turnover number, the maximum number of substrate molecules converted to product per enzyme molecule per second

 

 Metabolic Pathways

 

Familiarity with these abbreviations will help you navigate through complex metabolic charts:

 

– TCA: Tricarboxylic Acid cycle (also known as the Krebs cycle or citric acid cycle)

– ETC: Electron Transport Chain

– PPP: Pentose Phosphate Pathway

– HMP: Hexose Monophosphate Pathway (another name for PPP)

– FA: Fatty Acid

 

 Molecular Biology Techniques

 

These abbreviations are essential for understanding research methodologies:

 

– PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction

– ELISA: Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

– SDS-PAGE: Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

– HPLC: High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

– NMR: Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

 

 Biomolecules and Their Building Blocks

 

– aa: Amino Acid

– nt: Nucleotide

– bp: Base Pair

– Da: Dalton (unit of molecular mass)

– kDa: Kilodalton

 

 Cell Biology Terms

 

– ER: Endoplasmic Reticulum

– GA: Golgi Apparatus

– PM: Plasma Membrane

– ECM: Extracellular Matrix

 

 Biochemical Processes

 

– PTM: Post-Translational Modification

– TF: Transcription Factor

– ROS: Reactive Oxygen Species

– CAM: Cell Adhesion Molecule

 

 Units and Measurements

 

– M: Molar (moles per liter)

– mM: Millimolar

– µM: Micromolar

– nM: Nanomolar

– pM: Picomolar

 

Understanding these abbreviations will significantly enhance your ability to read and interpret biochemical literature, research papers, and metabolic pathways. Remember, biochemistry is a vast field, and these abbreviations represent just a fraction of the terminology you’ll encounter. As you delve deeper into specific areas of biochemistry, you’ll naturally acquire more specialized abbreviations relevant to your focus.

 

Mastering these abbreviations not only streamlines your learning process but also enables more effective communication within the scientific community. Whether you’re a student, researcher, or simply an enthusiast, having this biochemical shorthand at your fingertips will prove invaluable in your biochemistry journey.