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AACR Journals Standard Abbreviations

Standard abbreviations do not need to be expanded at first mention. Standard abbreviations include all metric and SI abbreviations of units of measure used with a value (units without a value must be expanded), as well as the following terms:

In mass spectrometry  |  Buffers  |  Statistical Terms  |  Other Abreviations  |  Gene Names

In mass spectrometry
m/2 501 (M-15)  
m/e relative intensity.
λ a chemical shift unit
M+ molecular ion
Buffers
Aces or ACES 2 [(2 amino 2 oxoethyl)amino]ethanesulfonic acid or
N (2 acetamido) 2 aminoethanesulfonic acid
Ada or ADA [(carbamoylmethyl)imino]diacetic acid or
MDUL»N MDNM» (2 acetamido) 2 iminodiacetic acid
Bes or BES N,N bis(2 hydroxyethyl) 2 aminoethanesulfonic acid
Bicine N,N bis(2 hydroxyethyl)glycine
bis TRIS 2 [bis(2 hydroxyethyl)amino} 2 (hydroxymethyl) propane 1,3 diol or
bis(2 hydroxyethyl)iminotris(hydroxymethyl)methane
CAPS 3 (cyclohexylamino)propanesulfonic acid
CDTA 1,2 cyclohexylenedinitrilotetraacetic acid
Chaps
  or CHAPS
3 [(3 chloamidopropyl)dimethylammonio] 1 propanesulfonic acid
CHAPSO 3 [(3 chloamidopropyl)dimethylammonio] 2 hydroxy 1
propanesulfonic acid
Ches or CHES 2 (cyclohexylamino)ethanesulfonic acid
EDTA ededic acid (ethyl-enediaminetetraacetic acid)
EGTA ethyleneglycoltetracetic acid
HEPES 4 (2 hydroxyethyl) 1 piperazineethanesulfonic acid or
N 2 hydroxyethylpiperazine N' 2 ethanesulfonic acid
HEPPS 4 (2 hydroxyethyl) 1 piperazinepropanesulfonic acid or
N 2 hydroxyethylpiperazine N' 3 propanesulfonic acid
MES 4 morpholineethanesulfonic acid or 2 (N morpholino)ethanesulfonic acid
MOPS 4 morpholinepropanesulfonic acid or 3 (N morpholino)propanesulfonic acid
PIPES 1,4'piperazinediethanesulfonic acid or piperazine N,N' bis(2 ethanesulfonic acid)
TAPS 3 {[2 hydroxy 1,1 bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]amino l propanesulfonic acid or 3 [tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl]aminopropanesulfonic acid
TEMED N,N,N',N' tetramethylethylenediamine
TES 2 {[2 hydroxy 1,l bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]amino) ethanesulfonic acid or N tris(hydroxymethyl)methyl 2 aminoethanesulfonic acid
Tricine N [2 hydroxy 1,1 bis(hydroxymethyl)ethyl]glycine or
Tris N tris(hydroxymethyl)methylglycine
Statistical terms  
F variance ratio symbol
HR hazard ratio
P probability
R2 regression coefficient
r correlation coefficient
SD standard deviation
SEM standard error of the mean
–x arithmetic mean
Other abbreviations and acronyms that do not need to be defined at first use  
ABVD doxorubicin, (known in this context by its proprietary name Adriamycin), bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine
ADP, dADP adenosine diphosphate
AMP, dAMP adenosine monophosphate
ANOVA analysis of variance
ATP, dATP adenosine triphosphate
bp base pair(s)
CDP, cCDP cytidine diphosphate
CMP, cCMP  
CNBr cyanogen bromide
cDNA complementary DNA
CoA coenzyme A
COOH a functional group consisting of a carbonyl and a hydroxyl, which has the formula -C(=O)OH, usually written as COOH)
COX cyclooxygenase
cRNA complementary RNA; RNA that anneals to cellular DNA
CTL cytotoxic T lymphocyte
CTP, dCTP cytidine triphosphate, deoxycytidine triphosphate
cyclic ADP adenosine 3',5' diphosphate
cyclic AMP adenosine 3',5' monophosphate
dADP the 5'(pyro)-diphosphates of adenosine, etc.
dAMP, the 5'-phosphates of 2'-deoxyribosyl-adenine, etc.
dGMP,  the 5'(pyro)-triphosphates of adenosine, etc.
dIMP dATP
dCMP, -cytosine, -thymine, and -uracil
dTMP, dUMP  
DHEA dehydroepiandrosterone
DEAE diethylaminoethyl
DNA, cDNA deoxyribonucleic acid, complementary DNA
ELISA enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
EtOH etomidate
FBS fetal bovine serum
FISH fluorescence in situ hybridization
GDP, dGDP guanine-diphosphate
GMP, dGMP guanine-monophosphate
GTP, dGTP guanine-triphosphate
GVHD  graft-versus-host disease
HER2 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2
HSP heat shock protein
IC50 half maximal inhibitory concentration
IDP, dIDP inosine diphosphate
IFN interferon
IMP, dIMP inosine monophosphate
IR infrared
ITP, dITP inosine triphosphate
LNCaP [cell line]
LOH loss of heterozygosity
MDR multiple drug resistance
MHC major histocompatibility complex
MOPP mechlorethamine, vincristine (known in this context under its proprietary name Oncovin), prednisone, and procarbazine hydrochloride
Mre11 [complex of proteins]
  -Rad50-Nbs1  
MRI magnetic resonance imaging
MTS 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium
mTOR mammalian target of rapamycin
MTT 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide
NAD nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
NADH  
NADP  
NADPH nicotinamide adnine dinucleotide phosphate
NF-κB nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells
PARP [poly (ADP-ripose) polymerase]
PBS phosphate buffered saline
PCR polymerase chain reaction
POPOP  1,4 bis[Isqb]2 (5 phenyloxazolyl)[rsqb]benzene
PPAR peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor
PPO 2,5 diphenyloxazole
Pi, PPi orthophosphate, pyrophosphate
rDNA ribosomal DNA
Rf retardation factor
RFLP restriction fragment length polymorphism
RIA radioimmunoassay
RKO cells  
RNA, aRNA, mRNA, nRNA, siRNA, tRNA  
Rnase, DNase  
RPMI Roswell Park Memorial Institute
rRNA spell out as "Ribosomal RNA" in title only
SDS sodium dodecyl sulfate
SDS PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis
sRNA soluble RNA; change to tRNA and query: ?/Au: Changed to agree with IUPAC
SSC  
ssDNA single stranded DNA
STAT3 signal transducers and activators of transcription 3
SV40 standard saline citrate
TBS Tris buffered saline
TDP, dTDP  
TEAE triethylaminoethyl
TGF transforming growth factor
TMP, dTMP  
TNF tumor necrosis factor
TTP, dTTP  
UDP, dUD  
PUMP, dUMP  
UmpG 02' methyluridine (3',5' phospho)guanosine
UTP, dUTP  
U.S. Abbreviate United States when used as an adjective only
USP units  
USPHS United States Public Health Service
UTP  
VEGF vascular endothelial growth factor
UV ultraviolet
w/v weight per volume
w/w weight for weight
Gene Names  

Gene names, when used as such, can remain in abbreviated form. Below are some of the most common gene names. If the context seems to indicate that the term is a gene name but you are unsure, it might be a good idea to search the term in the HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee.

AKT, Akt GSK MEPE
ErbB3 Notch1 ECM
Her-2 Wnt GLI
PTEN RET Shh

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