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ligand:
Any molecule that binds to a specific site on a protein or other
molecule. (From Latin ligare, to bind.)
ligase:
Enzyme that joins together (ligates) two molecules in an energy-dependent
process. DNA ligase, for example, links two DNA molecules together
through a phosphodiester bond.
light chain:
One of the smaller polypeptides of a multisubunit protein such
as myosin or immunoglobulin.
lineage analysis:
Tracing the ancestry of individual cells in a developing embryo.
linkage:
(1) Mutual effect of the binding of one ligand on the binding
of another that is a central feature of the behavior of all allosteric
proteins.
(2) Co-inheritance of two genetic loci that lie near each other
on the same chromosome; the greater the linkage, the lower the
frequency of recombination between the two loci.
lipase:
Enzyme that catalyzes the cleavage of fatty acids from the glycerol
moiety of a triglyceride.
lipid:
Organic molecule that is insoluble in water but dissolves readily
in nonpolar organic solvents. One class, the phospholipids, forms
the structural basis of biological membranes.
lipid bilayer:
Thin bimolecular sheet of mainly phospholipid molecules that forms
the structural basis for all cell membranes. The two layers of
lipid molecules are packed with their hydrophobic tails pointing
inward and their hydrophilic heads outward, exposed to water.
Lipophilic:
see hydrophobic
liposome:
Artificial phospholipid bilayer vesicle formed from an aqueous
suspension of phospholipid molecules.
locus:
In genetics, the position of a gene on a chromosome. Different
alleles of the same gene all occupy the same locus. (From Latin
locus, place.)
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