| cross-dressing | Clothing oneself in the clothes of the opposite sex. See: transvestism. (05 Mar 2000) |
|---|---|
| cross-eye | Alternative spelling for crossed eyes. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cross flap | A skin flap transferred from one part of the body to a corresponding part, as from one arm to the other. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cross-hybridisation | <molecular biology> The hydrogen bonding of asingle-stranded DNA sequence that is partially but not entirely complementary to a single-stranded substrate. Often, this involves hybridising a DNA probe for a specific DNA sequence to the homologous sequences of different species. (09 Oct 1997) |
| cross hybridization | Annealing of a DNA probe to an imperfectly matching DNA molecule. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cross infection | <microbiology> Infection transmitted between individuals infected with different pathogenic microorganisms. Any infection which a patient contracts in a health-care institution. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cross-link | A covalent linkage between two polymers or between two different regions of the same polymer. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cross linking | 1. <chemistry> The linking of the chains of a polymer to one another so that the polymer, as a network, becomes stronger and more resistant to being dissolved. 2. <molecular biology> The abnormal linking of two strands of DNA by covalent bonds (as opposed to the normal hydrogen bonds between base pairs), which can occur by exposure to X-rays. Such linking is a type of damage to the DNA molecule and must be repaired before the DNA can replicate and function properly again. (09 Oct 1997) |
| cross-linking reagent | <chemistry> Reagents with two reactive groups, usually at opposite ends of the molecule, that are capable of reacting with and thereby forming bridges between side chains of amino acids in proteins; the locations of naturally reactive areas within proteins can thereby be identified; may also be used for other macromolecules, like glycoproteins, nucleic acids, or other. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cross-pollination | <botany> Fertilization of a plant from a plant with a different genetic makeup. (09 Oct 1997) |
| cross-reacting agglutinin | An immune agglutinin specific for a group antigen. Synonym: cross-reacting agglutinin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cross-reacting antibody | <immunology> Antibody specific for group antigens, i.e., those with identical functional groups, antibody for antigens that have functional groups of closely similar, but not identical, chemical structure. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cross-reacting material | <haematology> A substance sufficiently different from a reference substance (R) to have a perceptibly different function from R but sufficiently similar to R that it reacts with anti-R antibodies; e.g., mutant factor VIII may be defective or even inert in coagulation and yet be immunologically identified as factor VIII. (05 Mar 2000) |
| cross reaction | <haematology, immunology> Serological reactions in which an antiserum against one antigen reacts with a non-identical but closely related antigen. (12 Dec 1998) |
| cross-reactive antibody | <haematology, immunology> Antibodies which don't respond to any one specific antigen, but will respond to a number of them. These antibodies can be responsible for false positive results in antigen-antibody tests. (09 Oct 1997) |