Definitions Flashcards
Steady State
Requiring energy, does not change with time
Equilibrium
No net energy, no energy transfer
Redundancy
one mechanism fails then others can still maintain that parameter around set point- back up
Hierarchy of importance
set-point of some variables may be altered in order to maintain others
Deficient Homeostatic mechanisms
disease progresses then normal compensatory responses fail and the normal negative feedback mechanism are overtaken by positive feedback loops with disastrous consequence
Negative Feedback
minimized or reversed to keep parameter at a set point
Postive Feedback
Amplification- child birth, ejaculations, ovulation, blood clot formation
Feed-Forward
Anticipation
Osmolarity
total concentration of all particles in solution
Tonicity
concentration of only the osmotically active particles
Imprinting
Methylation of specific loci & silencing of gene
Antiicipation
Individuals in recent generations of a pedigree develop disease at an earlier ages & with greater severity
Digenic disorder
2 mutant loci work together to produce an effect which is not seen without the other
Haplo-insufficiency
half normal levels of the gene product result in phenotypic effects
Gain of function mutation
increased levels of gene expression or the development of a new function of the gene product
Pleiotropy
affects multiple organ systems
Dominant-negative
mutant gene product interferes w/ the function of the normal gene product
Heteroplasmy
ONLY IN MITOCHONDRIAL DISORDERS; variable expression in mitochondria, unequal distributions- severity of disorder depends on the # of mitochondria that have the mutant gene
Necrosis
cell swelling, loss of plasma membrane integrity, inflammation
Apoptosis
Programmed cell death, cell shrinking, maintains plasma membrane integrity, no inflammation
Single Copy Genes
unique sequences in the genome that code for a protein
Multigene Families
genes with similar functions that have risen by gene duplication
Classic Gene families
multi-copy genes that show a high degree of homology
Gene Superfamilies
multi-copy genes with similar function but limited gene homology