11. Glossary

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

Messenger ribonucleic acid is a transient copy of a portion of desoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), corresponding to one or more genes, used as an intermediary by cells for protein synthesis.

Cytochrome p450 (CYP)

A group of several hundred enzymes whose function is to reduce oxygen in organic molecules.

Epigenetics

Study of changes in gene activity that do not involve modification of the DNA sequence and can be transmitted during cell division. Unlike mutations, which affect the DNA sequence, epigenetic modifications are reversible.

Glucurono-conjugation

Glucuronic acid is bound to a molecule by a glucuronyl transferase. This conjugation reaction solubilizes the molecule, enabling it to be eliminated...