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cholesterol:
Lipid molecule with a characteristic four-ringed steroid structure
that is an important component of the plasma membranes of animal
cells.
chromaffin cell:
Cell that stores adrenaline in secretory vesicles and secretes
it in times of stress when stimulated by the nervous system.
chromatid:
One copy of a chromosome formed by DNA replication that is still
joined at the centromere to the other copy.
chromatin:
Complex of DNA, histones, and nonhistone proteins found in the
nucleus of a eucaryotic cell. The material of which chromosomes
are made.
chromatography:
Biochemical technique in which a mixture of substances is separated
by charge, size, or some other property by allowing it to partition
between a moving phase and a stationary phase.
chromosome:
Structure composed of a very long DNA molecule and associated
proteins that carries part (or all) of the hereditary information
of an organism. Especially evident in plant and animal cells
undergoing mitosis or meiosis, where each chromosome becomes
condensed into a compact, readily visible thread.
cilium (plural cilia):
Hairlike extension of a cell containing a core bundle of microtubules
and capable of performing repeated beating movements. Cilia
are found in large numbers on the surface of many eucaryotic
cells, and they are responsible for the swimming of many single-celled
organisms.
cisterna (plural cisternae):
Flattened membrane-bounded compartment, as found in the endoplasmic
reticulum or Golgi apparatus.
citric acid cycle (TCA, or tricarboxylic
acid cycle; Krebs cycle):
Central metabolic pathway found in all aerobic organisms. Oxidizes
acetyl groups derived from food molecules to CO2
and H2O. Occurs in mitochondria in eucaryotic
cells.
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