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central nervous system (CNS):
Main information-processing organ of the nervous system. In
vertebrates it consists of the brain and spinal cord.
centriole:
Short cylindrical array of microtubules, closely similar in
structure to a basal body. A pair of centrioles is usually found
at the center of a centrosome in animal cells.
centromere:
Constricted region of a mitotic chromosome that holds sister
chromatids together; also the site on the DNA where the kinetochore
forms and then captures microtubules from the mitotic spindle.
centrosome (cell center):
Centrally located organelle of animal cells that is the primary
microtubule organizing center and acts as the spindle pole during
mitosis. In most animal cells it contains a pair of centrioles.
chaperone (molecular chaperone):
Protein that helps other proteins avoid misfolding pathways
that produce inactive or aggregated states.
checkpoint:
Point in the eucaryotic cell-division cycle where progress through
the cycle can be halted until conditions are suitable for the
cell to proceed to the next stage.
chelate:
Combine reversibly, usually with high affinity, with a metal
ion such as iron, calcium, or magnesium.
chemiosmotic coupling:
Mechanism in which a gradient of hydrogen ions (a pH gradient)
across a membrane is used to drive an energy-requiring process,
such as ATP production or the rotation of bacterial flagella.
chemotaxis:
Motile response of a cell or an organism that carries it toward
or away from a diffusible chemical.
Chlamydomonas:
Unicellular green alga with two flagella.
chlorophyll:
Light-absorbing pigment that plays a central part in photosynthesis.
chloroplast:
Specialized organelle in green algae and plants that contains
chlorophyll and performs photosynthesis. It is a specialized
form of plastid.
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