BIO - TERMS - STRUCTURE

Question 1

Alkyl group

Answer 1

The partial structure that remains when a hydrogen atom is removed from an alkane.

Question 2

amphiphilic

Answer 2

Having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions, as in a phospholipid or a detergent molecule. amyloid fibrils Self-propagating, stable β-sheet aggregates built from hundreds of identical polypeptide chains that become layered one over the other to create a continuous stack of β sheets. The unbranched fibrous structure can contribute to human diseases when not controlled.

Question 3

anatomy

Answer 3

(ă-nat′ŏ-mē) Study of structures in the human body.

Question 4

apex

Answer 4

(ā′peks) Extremity of a conical or pyramidal structure; e.g., the inferior, conical end of the heart.

Question 5

Asymmetric unit

Answer 5

The unit from which capsids or nucleocapsids of a virus particle are built. Also called protomer or structural unit. (Chapter 4)

Question 6

axial filament

Answer 6

The structure for motility found in spirochetes; also called endoflagellum.

Question 7

b-lactam

Answer 7

Core structure of penicillins.

Question 8

black phosphorus

Answer 8

An allotrope of phosphorus with a structure similar to that of graphite; the most thermodynamically stable form.

Question 9

blade

Answer 9

A flat leaflike structure of multicellular algae.

Question 10

block training

Answer 10

A sequential approach to structuring training in which individual blocks of training (which contain a distinct focus) are linked together.

Question 11

calcification

Answer 11

(kal′si-fi-kā′shŭn) Process in which structures in the body become hardened as a result of deposited calcium salts; normally occurs only in the formation of bone and teeth.

Question 12

calyx

Answer 12

(kā′liks; pl., calyces or calices, kal′i-sēz) Cup-shaped cavity or structure.

Question 13

cell plate

Answer 13

Flattened membrane-bounded structure that forms by fusing vesicles in the cytoplasm of a dividing plant cell and is the precursor of the new cell wall.

Question 14

Character (contraction of the word characteristic)

Answer 14

One of the many details of structure, form, substance, or function that make up an individual organism.

Question 15

Choline

Answer 15

Component of the primary membrane structural component phosphatidylcholine and the neurotransmitter acetylcholine; contributor to single-C metabolism; essential for normal growth and bone development in young poultry; can spare methionine in many animal species; and thus can be essential in diets that provide limited methyl groups.

Question 16

cochle

Answer 16

A spiral bony structure in the inner ear that contains the hair cells that transduce sound.

Question 17

collagen fibril

Answer 17

A higher-order collagen polymer of fibrillar collagens that assemble into thin structures (10–300 nm in diameter) many hundreds of micrometers long in mature tissues.

Question 18

complex virus

Answer 18

A virus with a complicated structure, such as a bacteriophage.

Question 19

cubic closest packing

Answer 19

A closest-packed arrangement in which the third layer of atoms is offset from the first; the same structure as the face-centered cubic.

Question 20

Cytotoxic

Answer 20

A substance that is toxic to cells, i.e., damages cell structure or function.

Question 21

Dipole

Answer 21

A structure with asymmetric distribution of electric charges.

Question 22

endospore

Answer 22

A resting structure formed inside some bacteria.

Question 23

epithelium (plural epithelia)

Answer 23

Sheet of cells covering the outer surface of a structure or lining a cavity.

Question 24

face-centered cubic

Answer 24

A crystal structure that has a unit cell that consists of a cube with one atom at each corner and one atom in the center of every face.

Question 25

fibril-associated collagen

Answer 25

Mediates the interactions of collagen fibrils with one another and with other matrix macromolecules to help determine the organization of the fibrils in the matrix. This collagen (including types IX and XII) has a flexible triple-stranded helical structure and binds to the surface of the fibrils rather than forming aggregates.

Question 26

fibrillar collagen

Answer 26

Class of fibril-forming collagens (including type I collagen, the most common type and the principal collagen of skin and bone) that have long ropelike structures with few or no interruptions and which assemble into collagen fibrils.

Question 27

flexure

Answer 27

(flek′sher) Bend in an organ or structure.

Question 28

forebrain

Answer 28

The region of the brain derived from the rostral primary embryonic brain vesicle; also called prosencephalon. Forebrain structures include the telencephalon and the diencephalon.

Question 29

glass

Answer 29

An amorphous form of silica with a randomly ordered structure.

Question 30

Gram staining

Answer 30

A technique for classifying bacteria based on differences in the structure of the bacterial cell wall and outer surface.

Question 31

Hammond postulate

Answer 31

A postulate stating that we can get a picture of what a given transition state looks like by looking at the structure of the nearest stable species. Exergonic reactions have transition states that resemble reactant; endergonic reactions have transition states that resemble product.

Question 32

hernia

Answer 32

(her′nē-ă) Protrusion of a part through the structures normally surrounding or containing it.

Question 33

hindbrain

Answer 33

The region of the brain derived from the caudal primary embryonic brain vesicle; also called rhombencephalon. Hindbrain structures include the cerebellum, pons, and medulla.

Question 34

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP MS)

Answer 34

Mass spectrometry technique for ultrasensitive detection and quantification of chemical elements. A hot argon plasma (ICP) of about 7000 K serves as ion source that destroys every chemical structure and produces simple element ions.

Question 35

infundibulum

Answer 35

(in-fŭn-dib′ū-lŭm) Funnel-shaped structure or passage.

Question 36

Inquilines

Answer 36

Organisms that commensally inhabit in a structure produced by another organism.

Question 37

intraperitoneal

Answer 37

(in′tră-per′i-tō- nē′ăl) Location of a structure or organ that is completely covered with visceral peritoneum.

Question 38

invaginate

Answer 38

(in-vaj′i-nāt) To infold or insert a structure within itself. ion (ı̄′on) An atom that has either lost an electron or electrons and developed a positive charge (cation) or has gained an electron or electrons and developed a negative charge (anion).

Question 39

Kekulé structure

Answer 39

An alternative name for a linebond structure, which represents a molecule by showing covalent bonds as lines between atoms.

Question 40

lateralization

Answer 40

(lat′er-al-ı̄-zā′shŭn) Process whereby certain asymmetries of structure and function occur.

Question 41

lens

Answer 41

The transparent structure lying between the aqueous humor and the vitreous humor that enables the eye to adjust its focus to different viewing distances.

Question 42

ligament

Answer 42

(lig′ă-ment) Band or sheet of dense regular fibrous tissue that connects structures; usually bones.

Question 43

limbic system

Answer 43

A group of structures, including those in the limbic lobe and Papez circuit, that are anatomically interconnected and are probably involved in emotion, learning, and memory.

Question 44

Line-bond structure

Answer 44

An alternative name for a Kekulé structure, which represents a molecule by showing covalent bonds as lines between atoms.

Question 45

lobe

Answer 45

(lōb) Subdivision of an organ, bounded by some structural demarcation.

Question 46

loop of Henle

Answer 46

A structure in the kidney nephron, within the medulla, that connects the proximate convoluted tubule to the distal convoluted tubule.

Question 47

Mechanical resistance

Answer 47

Morphological structures mediate resistance.

Question 48

medial forebrain bundle

Answer 48

A large bundle of axons coursing through the hypothalamus carrying efferents from the dopaminergic, noradrenergic, and serotonergic neurons in the brain stem and fibers interconnecting the hypothalamus, limbic structures, and midbrain tegmental area.

Question 49

Metastable structure

Answer 49

A structure that has not attained the lowest free energy state. (Chapter 4)

Question 50

midbody

Answer 50

Structure formed at the end of cleavage that can persist for some time as a tether between the two daughter cells in animals.

Question 51

midbrain

Answer 51

The region of the brain derived from the middle primary embryonic brain vesicle; also called mesencephalon. Midbrain structures include the tectum and the tegmentum.

Question 52

Morphology

Answer 52

Study of the form of an organism; developmental history of visible structures and the comparative relation of similar structures in different organisms.

Question 53

muscularis

Answer 53

(mŭs-kū-lā′ris) Muscular layer in the wall of a hollow organ or tubular structure.

Question 54

nanotubes

Answer 54

Long, tubular structures consisting of interconnected C6 rings.

Question 55

nuclear export signal

Answer 55

Sorting signal contained in the structure of molecules and complexes, such as nuclear RNPs and new ribosomal subunits, that are transported from the nucleus to the cytosol through nuclear pore complexes.

Question 56

nuclear pore complex (NPC)

Answer 56

Large multiprotein structure forming an aqueous channel (the nuclear pore) through the nuclear envelope that allows selected molecules to move between nucleus and cytoplasm.

Question 57

octet

Answer 57

The eight dots around atoms in a Lewis structure that signify a filled outer electron shell for s and p block elements.

Question 58

optic chiasm

Answer 58

The structure in which the right and left optic nerves converge and partially decussate (cross) to form the optic tracts.

Question 59

palpation

Answer 59

(pal-pā′shŭn) Using the sense of touch to identify or examine internal body structures.

Question 60

Papez circuit

Answer 60

A circuit of structures interconnecting the hypothalamus and cortex, proposed by Papez to be an emotion system.

Question 61

PDB (Protein Data Bank)

Answer 61

An international database (www.pdb.org) that archives the data describing the three-dimensional structure of nearly all macromolecules for which structures have been published.

Question 62

phagophore

Answer 62

A crescent-shaped double-membrane cytoplasmic structure.

Question 63

Phase III reactions

Answer 63

Follow-up reactions which may involve further metabolism of xenobiotic conjugates arising from phase II reactions, transport of xenobiotics and their metabolites (vacuolar deposition in plants’, removal from cells by excretion in other organisms), and incorporation of xenobiotic metabolites into plant cell wall structures.

Question 64

phragmoplast

Answer 64

Structure made of microtubules and actin filaments that forms in the prospective plane of division of a plant cell and guides formation of the cell plate.

Question 65

Platelet activation

Answer 65

A change in shape and membrane structure of platelets, accompanied by the release of various mediators.

Question 66

plectonemic

Answer 66

Describes a structure in a molecular polymer that has a net twisting of strands about each other in some simple and regular way.

Question 67

polarized

Answer 67

In epithelia, that the basal end of a cell, adherent to the basal lamina below, differs from the apical end, exposed to the medium above; thus, all epithelia and their individual cells are structurally polarized.

Question 68

pulmonary system

Answer 68

A series of structures that work together to ventilate the body.

Question 69

Quasiequivalence

Answer 69

The arrangement of structural units in a virus particle such that similar interactions among them are allowed. (Chapter 4)

Question 70

raphe

Answer 70

(rā′fē) Line of union between two contiguous, bilaterally symmetrical structures; e.g., the raphe of the scrotum.

Question 71

red phosphorus

Answer 71

An allotrope of phosphorus similar in structure to white phosphorus but in which one of the bonds between two phosphorus atoms in the tetrahedron is broken; red phosphorus is more stable than white.

Question 72

Resonance forms

Answer 72

Individual structural forms of a resonance hybrid.

Question 73

resonance structures

Answer 73

Two or more valid Lewis structures that are shown with double-headed arrows between them to indicate that the actual structure of the molecule is intermediate between them.

Question 74

retinotopy

Answer 74

The topographic organization of visual pathways in which neighboring cells on the retina send information to neighboring cells in a target structure.

Question 75

segment

Answer 75

Divisions of an insect body along its anteroposterior axis, each forming highly specialized structures, but all built according to a similar fundamental plan.

Question 76

selectivity filter

Answer 76

The part of an ion channel structure that determines which ions it can transport.

Question 77

sensory map

Answer 77

A representation of sensory information within a neural structure that preserves the spatial organization of that information established on the sensory organ. Examples are retinotopic maps in the superior colliculus, lateral geniculate nucleus, and visual cortex, where neurons in specific places respond selectively to stimulation of specific parts of the retina.

Question 78

serosa

Answer 78

(se-rō′să) Outermost coat of a visceral structure that lies in a closed body cavity.

Question 79

Silyl ether

Answer 79

A substance with the structure R3Si-O-R. The silyl ether acts as a protecting group for alcohols.

Question 80

single-particle reconstruction

Answer 80

Computational procedure in electron microscopy in which images of many identical molecules are obtained and digitally combined to produce an averaged three-dimensional image, thereby revealing structural details that are hidden by noise in the original images.

Question 81

spicule

Answer 81

One of two external structures on the male roundworm used to guide sperm.

Question 82

spore

Answer 82

A reproductive structure formed by fungi and actinomycetes. See also endospore.

Question 83

staining

Answer 83

Colorizing a sample with a dye to view through a microscope or to visualize specific structures.

Question 84

Stamen

Answer 84

The elongated structure that bears the anthers in flowering plants.

Question 85

stipe

Answer 85

A stemlike supporting structure of multicellular algae and basidiomycetes.

Question 86

structural isomers

Answer 86

Molecules with the same molecular formula but different structures.

Question 87

substitutional alloy

Answer 87

An alloy in which one metal atom substitutes for another in the crystal structure.

Question 88

superior colliculus

Answer 88

A structure in the tectum of the midbrain that receives direct retinal input and controls saccadic eye movements.

Question 89

Synaptinemal complex

Answer 89

A ribbonlike structure formed between synapsed homologues at the end of the first meiotic prophase, binding the chromatids along their length and facilitating chromatid exchange.

Question 90

Synchrotron

Answer 90

A cyclic particle accelerator typically accelerating electrons producing electromagnetic radiation such as X-rays used for i.a. X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) X-Ray Absorption Spectrometry (XAS) Extended X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure (μEXAFS), and X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (μXANES) analysis.

Question 91

synergist

Answer 91

(sin′er-jist) Structure, muscle, agent, or process that aids the action of another.

Question 92

Tandem mass spectrometry

Answer 92

Coupling of two mass analyzers in one mass spectrometer serving for structural ana lysis; it is a key technique in proteomics approaches.

Question 93

telencephalon

Answer 93

A region of the brain derived from the prosencephalon (forebrain). Telencephalic structures include the paired cerebral hemispheres that contain cerebral cortex and the basal telencephalon.

Question 94

thallus

Answer 94

The entire vegetative structure or body of a fungus, lichen, or alga.

Question 95

tonotopy

Answer 95

The systematic organization within an auditory structure on the basis of characteristic frequency.

Question 96

training

Answer 96

A structured exercise program that is designed to develop specific performance characteristics related to sports performance.

Question 97

transverse

Answer 97

(trans-vers′) Relating to a plane cutting a structure into a superior and inferior portion.

Question 98

ultrasound

Answer 98

(ŭl′tră-sound) A medical imaging method that uses sound waves to visualize internal structures

Question 99

ultrastructure

Answer 99

(ŭl-tră-strŭk′chūr) Cell structure viewable via the electron microscope.

Question 100

Ultraviolet (UV) spectroscopy

Answer 100

An optical spectroscopy employing ultraviolet irradiation. UV spectroscopy provides structural information about the extent of p electron conjugation in organic molecules.