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polar bond:
Covalent bond in which the electrons are attracted more strongly
to one of the two atoms, creating a polarized distribution of
electric charge.
polar molecule:
Molecule in which there is a polarized distribution of positive
and negative charges due to an uneven distribution of electrons.
Polar molecules are likely to be soluble in water.
polymer:
Large molecule made by forming a series of covalent bonds that
link multiple identical or similar units (monomers).
polymerase chain reaction:
see PCR
polypeptide:
Linear polymer composed of multiple amino acids. Proteins are
large polypeptides, and the two terms can be used interchangeably.
polyploid:
Describes a cell or an organism that contains more than two
sets of homologous chromosomes.
polyribosome (polysome):
mRNA molecule to which are attached a number of ribosomes engaged
in protein synthesis.
polysaccharide:
Linear or branched polymers of monosaccharides. These include
glycogen, hyaluronic acid, and cellulose.
positional information:
Information supplied to or possessed by cells according to their
position in a multicellular organism. A cell's internal record
of its positional information is called its positional value.
posterior:
Situated toward the tail end of the body.
posttranslational modification:
Enzyme-catalyzed change to a protein made after it is synthesized.
Examples are cleavage, glycosylation, phosphorylation, methylation,
and prenylation.
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