Glossary
(in alphabetical order)
ATP- Adenosine triphosphate. A molecule that provides chemical energy via donation of phosphate group donor to another molecule. The "energy currency" of the cell (Nelson et al., 2006).
catalytic mechanism- The sum total of the chemical steps involved in a reaction catalyzed by an enzyme (Purves et al. 2004).
crystal structure- The three-dimensional arrangement of all the atoms in a protein as determined by a technique called x-ray crystallography (Berg et al. 2005).
endemic- A disease present in a community at all times but in relatively low frequency (Purves et al. 2004).
eukaryotes- Organisms with a complex cell or cells, where the genetic material is organized into a membrane-bound nucleus or nuclei (Purves et al. 2004).
homologous- A similarity between two structures that is due to a common ancestor (Purves et al. 2004).
protozoa- Single-celled eukaryotes that have characteristics usually associated with animals, including mobility and heterotrophy (Purves et al. 2004).
pyrophosphate- A molecule that provides chemical energy via donation of phosphate group donor to another molecule. A highly unstable molecule that easily dissociates (Nelson et al., 2006).
rational drug design- The design of drug compounds based on a known protein structure (Nelson et al., 2006).
regulation- Describes the molecules and reactions that activate, inactivate, and control the concentration of a protein (Nelson et al., 2006).
subunit- A single polypeptide chain. Subunits can associate to form larger protein complexes (Nelson et al., 2006).