DEFINITIONS Flashcards
α-glucose
glucose in which the hydrogen atom on carbon
atom number one projects above the plain of the ring.
ab initio protein modelling
a model is built based on the
physical and electrical properties of the atoms in each amino
acid in the sequence.
accuracy
how close a measured or calculated value is to the
true value.
active immunity
where the immune system is activated and
manufactures its own antibodies.
active site
an indented area on the surface of an enzyme
molecule, with a shape that is complementary to the shape of
the substrate molecule.
active transport
the movement of substances against their
concentration gradient (from low to high concentration of
that substance) across a cell membrane, using ATP and
protein carriers.
adaptation
a characteristic that enhances survival in the
habitat.
adhesion
the attraction between water molecules and the walls
of the xylem vessel.
affinity
a strong attraction.
agglutination
the clumping of insoluble antigen molecules
caused by crosslinking by antibodies that have a number of
binding sites.
agglutinins
antibodies that cause pathogens to stick together
allele
a version of a gene; also called gene variant.
alveoli
tiny folds of the lung epithelium to increase the surface
area.
amino acids
monomers of all proteins, and all amino acids
have the same basic structure.
amphiphilic
attracted to both water and fat – containing
hydrophobic (lipophilic) and hydrophilic (lipophobic) parts.
