| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Ion | An atomic arrangement that bears an unequal number of protons and electrons. In other words, the arrangement bears a charge (positive/negative). |
| Electron Affinity | The pulling force that an atom has on other atom's electrons. |
| Polar | An arrangement has an equal number of opposite charges but they are distributed unequally. One side of the arrangement is positive and the other side is negative. |
| Chemical Reaction | When the arrangement of atoms within molecules emerging form a collision is different from the arrangement of atoms entering the collision. |
| Activation Energy | The speed in which certain molecules must collide at before a chemical reaction can occur. |
| Reduction | An increase in the number of electrons in close association with an atom. |
| Monomer | Small molecules that have the potential to be linked together to form large molecules. |
| Polymer | Any molecule formed by the linking together of many small molecules (monomers). |
| Primary Structure | A protein's specific sequence of linked amino acids. |
| Tertiary Structure | The aspects of a protein's three-dimension shape determined by interactions among the variable groups in the same chain with each other and with the surrounding water medium. |
| Enzyme | Any protein that acts as a catalyst for a specific chemical reaction. |
| Permease | Any protein that aids in the movement of a molecule across the cell membrane. |
| DNA Polymerase | The enzyme (protein) that, in association with an existing single-sided DNA molecule being used as a template to position different deoxyribonucleotides, catalyzes the linking of one deoxyribonucleotide to another (forming DNA). |
| RNA Polymerase | The enzyme (protein) that, in association with DNA being used as a template to position different ribonucleotides, catalyzes the linking of one ribonucleotides to another (forming RNA). |
| Gene | Any segment of a DNA molecule that is transcribed. |
| Promoter | A segment of two-sided DNA molecule that due to its sequence has the right shape for RNA polymerase to bind to and then initiate transcription (designates the start of genes). |
| Protein Gene | Any segment of DNA that codes for a functional protein (is a protein recipe). |
| mRNA | aka messenger RNA. The RNA molecule that results from the transcription of a protein gene. (The working copy of the protein recipe.) |
| Genetic Regulation | The turning on and off of transcription of any gene within a genome. The choosing to which gene cells to transcribe. |
| Regulatory Protein | A protein that can bind to DNA and influence RNA polymerase's ability to bind to a gene's promoter (will or will not allow transcription to begin). |
| tRNA | An RNA molecule that plays the role of translators during RNA transcription. Each tRNA can be loaded with a specific type of amino acid that has a unique anticodon. |
| Point Mutation | A change in a cell's DNA sequence due to the substitution of one deoxyribonucleotide with another that has a different nitrogenous base. |
| Deletion Mutation | A change in a cell's DNA sequence due to the loss of one or more of the deoxyribonucleotides. |
| Metabolic Pathway | A step-wise series of chemical reactions (output of one become the inputs of the next and so on...) where each reaction is facilitated by a different enzyme. |
| Biosynthesis | The use of metabolic pathways to rearrange atoms in molecules available to the cell into biologically useful molecules. |
| Nitrogen Fixation | The process in which molecular Nitrogen (N2) is reduced to form ammonia (NH2), which is a biologically useful molecule. |
| Autotroph | A cell able to reduce CO2 to a three-carbon sugar (G3P). In other words, a cell that is able to perform the Calvin-Benson Cycle. |
| Heterotroph | A cell that is unable to reduce CO2 into a three-carbon sugar (G3P), and must therefore get the needed supply from autotrophic cells (via barter or theft). |
| Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid | A group of molecules that consist of an acid (carboxyl) group attached to a long hydrocarbon chain. They have two or more double bonds in this hydro carbon chain. |
| Concentration Gradient | A change in the concentration across distance. (molecules tend to move from high concentration to low) |
| Simple Diffusion | The movement of molecules across the cell membrane (only molecules permeable to the membrane). It is powered by the concentration gradient (movement from high to low). |
| Facilitated Diffusion | The movement of molecules across the cell membrane (the molecules move through some sort of channel protein or permease). It is also powered by the concentration gradient. |
| Active Transport | The movement of molecules across the cell membrane with the aid of permease. The molecules move across the cell membrane against the concentration gradient. Some energy source is needed to make this possible. |
| Osmosis | The diffusion of solvent molecules (water molecules) towards regions of lower osmotic levels (regions of lower water concentration). |
| Essential Nutrient | Any nutrient that must be included in the diet of an organism if it wishes to sustain normal function. |
| Allosteric Modulation | A protein whose shape changes when it binds with another molecule. The shape change either allows or does not allow a certain function to be performed. |
| Energy Metabolism | How cells use an external energy source, such as light or a high energy molecule, to make the two needed cellular fuels: NADPH and ATP |
| Higher Redox Potential | A molecule that, in comparison to another molecule, does not hold onto certain electrons as tightly. It therefore, during a chemical reaction, more readily gives up its electrons than accepts them. |
| Higher Phosophorylation Potential | A molecule that, in comparison to another molecule, does not hold onto certain phosphates as tightly as other molecules. Therefore, during a chemical reaction, it more readily gives up a phosphate than it accepts them. |
| NADPH | The reduced form of the molecule NADP+. It is used as a hydrogen donor whenever hydrogen's are added onto other molecules during biosynthesis. |
| ATP | A molecule (an activated ribonuleotide) with both a phosphate to transfer and relatively high phorphorylation potential. The directional movement of phosphates from ATP to other molecules is often used to power activities within the cell. |
| NADH | The reduced form of NAD+. It is used as an initial donor in respiring cells. |
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