proteins
This type of carbon compound makes up 50% of the dry weight of the cell.
Protein
This three-carbon alcohol forms the backbone of triglycerides, bonding with three fatty acids through ester linkages.
What is glycerol?
These short amino-terminal peptides act like postal codes, directing newly synthesized proteins to destinations such as the ER, mitochondria, or nucleus.
What are signal sequences?
In quantitative assays, this graph plots known concentrations against measured signals to allow interpolation of unknown samples.
What is a standard curve?
In the 1960s, this NIH researcher cracked the genetic code by showing that specific RNA triplets direct the synthesis of specific amino acids.
Who is Marshall Nirenberg?
These two backbone dihedral angles, named after an Indian biophysicist, describe how peptide bonds rotate around the α-carbon — and their plot reveals which conformations are sterically allowed.
What are Ramachandran angles (phi and psi)?
Formed when a fatty acid is linked to sphingosine, this lipid serves as the backbone for sphingomyelin and glycolipids in cell membranes.
What is a ceramide?
This ribonucleoprotein complex recognizes signal sequences as they emerge from the ribosome and pauses translation to direct the complex to the ER membrane.
What is the signal recognition particle (SRP)?
This technique amplifies RNA by first converting it into complementary DNA using reverse transcriptase, allowing scientists to measure gene expression levels.
What is RT-PCR (reverse transcription PCR)?
This cell biologist discovered that proteins contain signal sequences directing them to the correct cellular compartments, earning him the 1999 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Who is Günter Blobel?
At physiological pH, most amino acids exist in this dual-charged form, carrying both a positive and a negative charge but remaining overall neutral.
What are zwitterions?
These hydrocarbons, built from repeating five-carbon isoprene units, are the molecular basis for compounds like steroids, carotenoids, and essential oils.
What are terpenes?
This hydrophobic stretch of amino acids halts translocation through the translocon, anchoring a protein in the membrane during synthesis.
What is a stop-transfer sequence?
This laboratory method separates proteins based on their molecular weight after denaturing them with detergent, often visualized with Coomassie blue or a western blot.
What is SDS-PAGE?
This biochemist shared the 1985 Nobel Prize for uncovering how LDL receptors regulate cholesterol metabolism — work foundational to understanding heart disease.
Who is Joseph Goldstein?
This is the specific pH at which an amino acid carries no net electrical charge, existing primarily as a zwitterion.
What is the isoelectric point (pI)?
This amphipathic molecule, built from isoprene units, is the key precursor for steroid hormones, bile acids, and vitamin D.
What is cholesterol?
These ER-derived transport vesicles, coated with a protein complex including Sec23 and Sec24, carry newly synthesized proteins from the rough ER to the Golgi apparatus.
What are COPII vesicles?
This type of ion-exchange chromatography uses a positively charged resin to bind negatively charged proteins, with elution achieved by increasing salt concentration or changing pH.
What is DEAE chromatography?
This biochemist co-developed the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system, revolutionizing molecular biology and earning a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020.
Who is Jennifer Doudna?
These two types of glycoprotein linkages differ by the atom connecting the sugar to the amino acid — oxygen in serine or threonine for one, and sulfur in cysteine for the other.
What are O-linked and S-linked glycoproteins?
This long-chain polyisoprenoid lipid, found in the endoplasmic reticulum, acts as a carrier for oligosaccharides during N-linked glycosylation.
What is dolichol?
When the LDL receptor binds cholesterol-rich particles at the cell surface, these triskelion-coated vesicles form to internalize the complex via receptor-mediated endocytosis.
What are AP/clathrin-coated vesicles?
This six-membered ring form of glucose resembles a pyran structure and is the most common cyclic form found in solution and polysaccharides like cellulose.
What is glucopyranose?
This scientist and author wrote Writing Science, a guide that teaches researchers how to craft clear, compelling scientific papers by thinking like storytellers.
Who is Joshua Schimel?