|
prenylation:
Covalent attachment of an isoprenoid lipid group to a protein.
primary structure:
Sequence of units in a linear polymer, such as the amino acid
sequence of a protein.
probe:
Defined fragment of RNA or DNA, radioactively or chemically labeled,
used to locate specific nucleic acid sequences by hybridization.
procaryote (prokaryote):
Organism made of simple cells that lack a well-defined, membrane-enclosed
nucleus: a bacterium or a cyano-bacterium.
promoter:
Nucleotide sequence in DNA to which RNA polymerase binds to begin
transcription.
prophase:
First stage of mitosis during which the chromosomes are condensed
but not yet attached to a mitotic spindle.
protease
(proteinase, proteolytic enzyme):
Enzyme such as trypsin that degrades proteins by hydrolyzing some
of their peptide bonds.
proteasome:
Type of large protein complex in the cytosol that is responsible
for degrading proteins that have been marked for destruction by
ubiquitination or by some other means.
protein:
The major macromolecular constituent of cells. A linear polymer
of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds in a specific
sequence.
Protein Design/Protein Engineering:
The design and construction of new proteins; an enabling technology
for nanotechnology.
protein kinase:
Enzyme that transfers the terminal phosphate group of ATP to a
specific amino acid of a target protein.
protein phosphatase:
see phosphoprotein phosphatase
proteinase:
see protease
proteoglycan:
Molecule consisting of one or more glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains
attached to a core protein.
proteolysis:
Degradation of a protein, usually by hydrolysis at one or more
of its peptide bonds.
proteolytic enzyme:
see protease
proto-oncogene:
Normal gene, usually concerned with the regulation of cell proliferation,
that can be converted into a cancer-promoting oncogene by mutation.
protozoa:
Free-living, nonphotosynthetic, single-celled, motile eucaryotic
organisms, especially those, such as Paramecium or Amoeba,
that live by feeding on other organisms.
Proximal Probes:
A family of devices capable of fine positional control and sensing,
including scanning probe microscopes; an enabling technology for
nanotechnology.
|
