Part 4

Question 1

Interstitial space

Answer 1

tissue space between cells

Question 2

Intrinsic (intergral) protein

Answer 2

membrane protein spanning the membrane from one surface to the other

Question 3

Ion channel (leakage, voltage-dependent, ligand-dependent)

Answer 3

pore enabling passage of ions through the membrane; it is formed by intrinsic membrane proteins and is either continuously open (leakage) or opened by a change of membrane potential or by the binding of a ligand (signal) molecule

Question 4

Ion pump

Answer 4

active transport process moving ions through the membrane using energy stored in ATP molecules

Question 5

Isometric (isovolumic) concentration (in the heart)

Answer 5

contraction of the ventricles while valves are closed and volume is constant

Question 6

Isometric (isovolumic) relaxation

Answer 6

relaxation of the ventricles while valves are closed and volume is constant

Question 7

Isometric contraction

Answer 7

contraction of muscles at constant length when only tension changes

Question 8

Isotonic contraction

Answer 8

contraction of muscles at constant tension when only length changes

Question 9

Isotropic

Answer 9

optically homogenous material, transmission is independent of the plane of the polarized light

Question 10

Keto-sugar

Answer 10

sugar containing a ketone group (e.g. fructose)

Question 11

Lactose

Answer 11

disaccharide formed by glucose and galactose molecules

Question 12

Laminar flow

Answer 12

movement of a fluid or air, during which layers are sliding smoothly on each other

Question 13

Ligand

Answer 13

signal molecule that can specifically bind to a receptor

Question 14

Lipids

Answer 14

compounds soluble in nonpolar solvents

Question 15

Lipoprotein

Answer 15

protein molecules containing lipid groups

Question 16

Long term potentiation (LTP)

Answer 16

long lasting increase of efficacy in a synapse following strong stimulation in some parts of the CNS

Question 17

Lymphocyte

Answer 17

white blood cell responsible for the production of antibodies

Question 18

Maximal ejection

Answer 18

part of the heart cycle following the opening of the semilunar valves during systole

Question 19

Mean electrical axis

Answer 19

direction of the electrical vector of the heart at the peak of the R-wave

Question 20

Memory cell

Answer 20

lymphocyte specialized for the long-term storage of the code to synthesize an antibody

Question 21

Metarteriole

Answer 21

vessel connecting arterioles and venules from which true capillaries originate

Question 22

Microvilli

Answer 22

small, fingerlike protrusions of the apical membrane increasing the surface of some epithelial cells

Question 23

Miniature end-plate potential

Answer 23

small depolarizations of the postsynaptic terminal caused by the release of a single vesicle into the synaptic clef

Question 24

Mitral valve

Answer 24

bicuspid valve between the left atrium and ventricle

Question 25

Monocyte

Answer 25

large white blood cell with phagocyte function

Question 26

Monosaccharide

Answer 26

simple sugar

Question 27

Multipolar neuron

Answer 27

nerve cell with many processes

Question 28

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor

Answer 28

ACh receptor at which muscarine mimics the effect of acetylcholine

Question 29

Muscle twitch

Answer 29

contraction and relaxation caused by a single action potential in the muscle

Question 30

Myelin sheet

Answer 30

insulation around axons formed by Schwann cells or oligodendrocytes wrapping the axon into 50-100 layers of membrane

Question 31

Myofibril

Answer 31

a longitudinal unit of a muscle fiber, made up of sacromeres and surrounded by sarcoplasmic reticulum

Question 32

Myoglobin

Answer 32

iron-containing oxygen-binding protein molecule in the muscles resembling hemoglobin

Question 33

NAD

Answer 33

nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, a coenzyme

Question 34

Nerst equation

Answer 34

equation for calculating electrochemical equilibrium conditions

Question 35

Neurit

Answer 35

processes of neuronal cells

Question 36

Neurocrine communication

Answer 36

communication in which the signal reaches the target cell through the synaptic cleft

Question 37

Neuromodulator

Answer 37

signal molecule changing neuronal functions; it usually has a broader and longer lasting effect than the neurotransmitters

Question 38

Neuromuscular endplate

Answer 38

synapse between the motorneuron and the muscle fiber

Question 39

Neurotransmitter (mediator)

Answer 39

signal molecule interacting with receptors in the postsynaptic membrane and usually modifying the membrane potential of the postsynaptic cell

Question 40

Neutrophil granulocyte

Answer 40

white blood cell containing vesicles stained by neutral stains

Question 41

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

Answer 41

ACh receptor at which nicotine mimics the effect of acetylcholine

Question 42

Nissl substance

Answer 42

characteristic component of nerve cells corresponding to rough endoplasmic reticulum

Question 43

Node of Ranvier

Answer 43

periodic gap between two Schwann cells along an axon

Question 44

Non-covalent bonds or weak forces

Answer 44

supplemental, but important interactions between and within biological molecules: electrostatic (ionic) bond, H-bond, van der Waals interaction