Category: C

A type of geometrical isomerism found in alkenic systems in which it is possible for each of the doubly bonded carbons to carry two different atoms or groups. Two similar atoms or groups may be on the same side (i.e., cis) or on opposite sides (i.e., trans) of a plane bisecting the alkenic carbons and…

A drug that is used in chemotherapy regimens against certain types of cancer tumors. Cisplatin works against (tumor) cells by binding to the cell’s DNA and generating intrastrand cross-links (between the two strands of the DNA molecule). These intrastrand cross-links prevent replication, and cause cell death. A chemical substance which may help fight cancer by…

A cis-acting protein has the exceptional property of acting only on the molecule of DNA from which it was expressed.  

A human protein that has been shown to help the survival of those cells in the nervous system that act to convey sensation and control the function of muscles and organs. CNTF was approved by the U.S. FDA to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease) in 1992. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis causes…

Protein-based structures that occur in certain cells of both the plant and animal world. Cilia are very tiny hair-like structures and occur in large numbers on the outside of certain cells. In higher organisms such as man, they usually function to move extracellular material along the cell surface. An example is the “sweeping-out-of-foreign matter” action…

Also known as rennin. It is an enzyme used to make cheeses (from milk). Chymosin occurs naturally in the stomachs of calves, and is one of the oldest commercially used enzymes. Chymosin (rennin) is chemically similar to renin, an enzyme that plays an important role in regulating blood pressure in humans. An enzyme that curdles…

A process by which complex mixtures of different molecules may be separated from each other. This is accomplished by subjecting the mixture to many repeated partitionings between a flowing phase and a stationary phase. Chromatography constitutes one of, if not the most fundamental separation techniques used in the biochemistry/biotechnology arena to date. A method of…

Copies of a chromosome produced by replication within a living eucaryotic cell during the prophase (i.e., the first stage of mitosis). They are compact cylinders consisting of DNA coiled around flexible rods of histone protein. The parallel threads resulting from chromosome duplication before they separate from each other. One of two parallel filaments making up…

An enzyme that catalyzes the breakdown of cholesterol molecules (causing oxygen consumption in the breakdown process). Because cholesterol molecules are essential for creation and maintenance of cell membranes and some hormones, an excess of cholesterol oxidase can be harmful. When the gene (that codes) for cholesterol oxidase is inserted into the genome of the com…

Specialized chlorophyll-containing photosynthetic organelles in eucaryotic cells.