| active site/ˈæktɪv saɪt/ |
The region of an enzyme where the substrate binds and reacts. |
| Active transport/ˈæktɪv ˈtrænspɔːt/ |
The movement of substances across a cell membrane against their concentration gradient using energy and carrier proteins. |
| amylopectin/ˈæmɪləʊpktɪn/ |
A branched polymer of alpha-glucose that forms part of starch. |
| amylose/ˈæmɪləʊs/ |
An unbranched polymer of alpha-glucose that forms part of starch and coils into a helix. |
| Anticoagulants |
Substances that reduce or prevent blood clotting. |
| anticodons |
A sequence of three nucleotides in tRNA that pairs with a complementary codon in mRNA. |
| Antihypertensives |
Medicines used to lower high blood pressure. |
| Atherosclerosis |
The development of fatty deposits in artery walls, which can narrow the lumen and reduce blood flow. |
| Atrial systole |
Contraction of the atria, pushing blood into the ventricles. |
| Blood pressure |
The force per unit area exerted by blood on the walls of blood vessels. |
| Bohr effect |
The reduced affinity of haemoglobin for oxygen at higher carbon dioxide concentration and lower pH, promoting oxygen unloading. |
| Competitive inhibitors |
A molecule that blocks the active site by competing with the substrate; more substrate can overcome it. |
| Condensation/kɒndenˈseɪʃn/ |
A chemical reaction in which molecules join and a small molecule, commonly water, is eliminated. |
| confounders |
Variables associated with both an investigated factor and an outcome that can distort their apparent relationship. |
| cooperative binding |
Binding that changes a protein's affinity for further molecules, as when oxygen binding increases haemoglobin's affinity for additional oxygen. |
| Correlation is not causation. |
An observed association between variables does not by itself show that changing one causes a change in the other. |
| degenerate/dɪˈdʒenəreɪt/ |
Describing the genetic code because more than one codon can specify the same amino acid. |
| deletion/dɪˈliːʃn/ |
A mutation in which one or more nucleotides are lost from a DNA sequence. |
| Diastole/ˈdaɪəstəʊl/ |
The relaxation phase of a heart chamber's cycle, during which it can fill with blood. |
| Diffusion/dɪˈfjuːʒn/ |
Net movement down a concentration gradient, no ATP. |
| dipole/ˈdaɪpəʊl/ |
A pair or separation of opposite electric charges, producing a positive and a negative end. |
| DNA polymerase/ˌdiː en ˈeɪ ˌpɒlɪməˈreɪz/ |
An enzyme that synthesises DNA by adding nucleotides to a growing strand using a template. |
| endothelium |
The thin layer of cells lining the inside of blood vessels. |
| enzyme/ˈenzaɪm/ |
A biological catalyst that increases the rate of a reaction without being used up overall. |
| ester bonds |
A covalent linkage formed between a carboxyl-derived group and an oxygen attached to a carbon group, as in fats. |
| Facilitated diffusion/fəˈsɪlɪteɪtɪd dɪˈfjuːʒn/ |
Passive movement down a concentration or electrochemical gradient through a membrane channel or carrier protein. |
| fibrin/ˈfɪbrɪn/ |
The insoluble protein mesh that traps cells to form a blood clot. |
| fibrinogen/ˈfɪbrɪnədʒn/ |
The soluble blood protein converted to fibrin during clotting. |
| fluid mosaic model/ˈfluːɪd məˈseɪɪk ˈmɒdl/ |
The model of the cell membrane as a fluid phospholipid bilayer with proteins scattered through it like tiles. |
| frameshift/ˈfreɪmʃɪft/ |
A change in how codons are grouped after insertion or deletion of a nucleotide number that is not a multiple of three in a coding sequence. |
| Genetic screening/dʒɪˈnetɪk ˈskriːnɪŋ/ |
Testing for genetic variants or chromosome changes that may indicate a condition, carrier status or increased risk. |
| glycogen/ˈɡlaɪkədʒn/ |
A highly branched glucose polysaccharide used for energy storage in animals and fungi. |
| glycosidic bond/ˌɡlaɪkəˈsɪdɪk bɒnd/ |
A covalent linkage joining a sugar to another group, including the links between sugar units in carbohydrates. |
| hydrogen bonds/ˈhaɪdrədʒn bɒndz/ |
An attraction between a hydrogen atom bonded to an electronegative atom and a suitable electronegative atom with a lone pair. |
| Hydrolysis/haɪˈdrɒləsɪs/ |
Breaking chemical bonds by reaction with water. |
| induced-fit |
A model in which substrate binding changes an enzyme's active-site shape to favour the reaction. |
| insertion/ɪnˈsɜːʃn/ |
A mutation in which one or more nucleotides are added to a DNA sequence. |
| mass transport |
Bulk movement of substances over distances, as in blood circulation or transport through plant vessels. |
| mononucleotide |
A pentose (deoxyribose or ribose), a phosphate and a nitrogenous base. |
| mRNA |
Messenger RNA: an RNA copy carrying genetic information from DNA to ribosomes for protein synthesis. |
| Mutations/mjuːˈteɪʃnz/ |
A change in genetic material, such as a DNA sequence or chromosome structure. |
| non-competitive inhibitors |
A molecule that binds away from the active site and changes its shape; extra substrate cannot overcome it. |
| non-overlapping |
Describing a genetic code in which each nucleotide belongs to only one codon in a reading frame. |
| Osmosis/ɒzˈməʊsɪs/ |
Water moving from higher to lower water potential across a partially permeable membrane. Endocytosis and exocytosis move bulk material in vesicles. |
| peptide bond/ˈpeptaɪd bɒnd/ |
A covalent bond joining amino acids, formed between an amino group and a carboxyl group with water removed. |
| phosphodiester bonds |
A covalent linkage through a phosphate group joining adjacent sugars in a nucleic-acid strand. |
| plaque |
A fatty deposit within an artery wall that may narrow its lumen and contribute to cardiovascular disease. |
| polar solvent |
A solvent whose molecules have an uneven charge distribution, allowing interactions with ions and other polar substances. |
| primary structure/ˈpraɪməri ˈstrʌktʃə/ |
The sequence of amino acids in a protein chain. |
| prothrombin |
An inactive plasma protein converted into thrombin during blood clotting. |
| quaternary/kwəˈtɜːnəri/ |
The level of protein structure describing how two or more polypeptide subunits associate. |
| ribosome/ˈriːbəʊsəʊm/ |
A cellular structure that joins amino acids into a polypeptide using information from messenger RNA. |
| risk factors/rɪsk ˈfæktəz/ |
A characteristic, exposure or behaviour associated with a higher chance of disease; a risk factor is not a guarantee that disease will occur. |
| Saturated/ˈsætʃəreɪtɪd/ |
Describing a fatty acid with no carbon–carbon double bonds. |
| secondary/ˈsekəndəri/ |
Local folding of a polypeptide into structures such as alpha-helices and beta-sheets, stabilised by hydrogen bonds. |
| semi-conservative/ˈsemi kənˈsɜːvətɪv/ |
Describing DNA replication in which each resulting double-stranded molecule contains one original strand and one newly synthesised strand. |
| Statins/ˈstætɪnz/ |
Medicines that inhibit an enzyme involved in cholesterol synthesis and can lower blood LDL cholesterol. |
| substitution/ˌsʌbstɪˈtjuːʃn/ |
A mutation in which one nucleotide or base pair is replaced by another. |
| tertiary/ˈtɜːʃjəri/ |
The overall three-dimensional folding of one polypeptide chain, maintained by interactions between its side chains. |
| thrombin |
An enzyme that converts soluble fibrinogen into insoluble fibrin during clotting. |
| thromboplastin |
A term used for tissue-factor-containing material that helps initiate the blood-clotting cascade. |
| triglyceride/ˈtrɪɡlɪsəraɪd/ |
A lipid formed from glycerol joined to three fatty acids by ester bonds. |
| triplet/ˈtrɪplɪt/ |
A sequence of three DNA nucleotides that corresponds to one codon in the genetic code. |
| tRNA |
Transfer RNA: an RNA molecule that carries a particular amino acid to a ribosome and pairs its anticodon with an mRNA codon. |
| Unsaturated/ʌnˈsætʃəreɪtɪd/ |
Containing one or more carbon-carbon double or triple bonds rather than only single bonds. |
| Ventricular systole |
Contraction of the ventricles, raising pressure and ejecting blood into the arteries. |
| water potential/ˈwɔːtə pəˈtenʃl/ |
A measure of the tendency of water to move, determined by its free energy relative to pure water under specified conditions. |