BIO - TERMS - NUCLE Flashcards
amygdala
An almond-shaped nucleus in the anterior temporal lobe thought to be involved in emotion and certain types of learning and memory.
arcuate nucleus
A nucleus in the periventricular area of the hypothalamus containing a large number of neurons sensitive to changes in leptin levels, contributing to the regulation of energy balance.
basal forebrain complex
Several cholinergic nuclei of the telencephalon, including the medial septal nuclei and basal nucleus of Meynert.
CAAT box
A conserved nucleotide sequence in eukaryotic promoters involved in the initiation of transcription.
Chemical shift
The position on the NMR chart where a nucleus absorbs. By convention, the chemical shift of tetramethylsilane (TMS) is set at zero, and all other absorptions usually occur downield (to the left on the chart). Chemical shifts are expressed in delta units (d), where 1 d equals 1 ppm of the spectrometer operating frequency.
Cockayne syndrome
Neurological degeneration and early senility caused by inherited defects of transcription-coupled nucleotide excision repair.
consensus nucleotide sequence
A summary or “average” of a large number of individual nucleotide sequences derived by comparing many sequences with the same basic function and tallying up the most common nucleotides found at each position.
Coupling constant, J
The magnitude (expressed in hertz) of the interaction between nuclei whose spins are coupled.
de novo pathway
Pathway for the synthesis of a biomolecule, such as a nucleotide, from simple precursors; as distinct from a salvage pathway.
deoxyribonucleotides
Nucleotides containing 2-deoxy-D-ribose as the pentose component.
dorsal cochlear nucleus
A nucleus in the medulla that receives afferents from the spiral ganglion in the cochlea of the inner ear.
dorsal column nucleus
One of a pair of nuclei located in the posterior medulla; target of dorsal column axons, mediating touch and proprioceptive input from the limbs and trunk.
Doublet
A two-line NMR absorption caused by spin–spin splitting when the spin of the nucleus under observation couples with the spin of a neighboring magnetic nucleus.
Female gametophyte
A large thin-walled space within the ovule of the seed plant that contains the eight identical haploid nuclei derived by mitosis from the megaspore that was produced by meiosis.
FT-NMR
Fourier-transform NMR; a rapid technique for recording NMR spectra in which all magnetic nuclei absorb at the same time.
gustatory nucleus
A nucleus in the brain stem that receives primary taste input.
highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
A combination of drugs that is used to control HIV infection. It comprises nucleoside analogs that prevent reverse transcription, and drugs that inhibit the viral protease.
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria
Premature aging caused by inherited defects in nuclear lamins.
inferior colliculus
A nucleus in the midbrain from which all ascending auditory signals project to the medial geniculate nucleus.
inferior olive
A nucleus of the medulla that gives rise to climbing fiber input to the cerebellar cortex. Climbing fiber activity is an important trigger for LTD, a form of synaptic plasticity believed to be important for motor learning.
Inosine
A nucleoside containing hypoxanthine and ribose.
lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)
A thalamic nucleus that relays information from the retina to the primary visual cortex.
locus coeruleus
A small nucleus located bilaterally in the pons; using NE as their neurotransmitter, its neurons project widely to all levels of the CNS.
magic numbers
Certain numbers of nucleons (N or Z = 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, and N = 126) that confer unique stability.
Male gametophyte
The three identical haploid nuclei within a pollen grain.
medial geniculate nucleus (MGN)
A relay nucleus in the thalamus through which all auditory information passes on its way from the inferior colliculus to the auditory cortex.
medial lemniscus
A white matter tract of the somatic sensory system carrying axons from dorsal column nuclei to the thalamus.
Meisenheimer complex
An intermediate formed by addition of a nucleophile to a halo-substituted aromatic ring.
metaplasticity
Activity-dependent modification of the rules of synaptic plasticity. MGN See medial geniculate nucleus.