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• High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC):

  An affinity chromatography method used to separate and purify biomolecules. Generally, mixtures of proteins are passed over a column presenting hydrophobic carbon chains. Different proteins will bind the column with different affinities depending upon their degree of hydrophobicity. This property is then exploited by eluting the proteins using a gradient of increasing hydrophobic solvent (usually acetonitrile), so that each protein is removed at its individual gradient point. Fractions are collected and scanned to identify the protein in the sample.

• Homologous:

  Strictly, corresponding genetic loci. Commonly, a term describing two or more genes or alleles sharing a significant degree of similarity in their respective DNA sequences.

• Homology research:

  Given a newly sequenced gene, there are two main approaches to the prediction of structure and function from the amino acid sequence. Homology methods are the most powerful and are based on the detection of significant extended sequence similarity to a protein of known structure, or of a sequence pattern characteristic of a protein family. Statistical methods are less successful but more general and are based on the derivation of structural preference values for single residues, pairs of residues, short oligopeptides or short sequence patterns. The transfer of structure/function information to a potentially homologous protein is straightforward when the sequence similarity is high and extended in length, but the assessment of the structural significance of sequence similarity can be difficult when sequence similarity is weak or restricted to a short region.

• Hydrophilic:

  Likes or attracts water. Used in reference to the behaviour of molecules. Hydrophilic substances are soluble in water.

• Hydrophobic:

  Dislikes or repels water. Used in reference to the behaviour of molecules. Hydrophobic substances are insoluble in water.

 

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