| organic molecule | <chemistry> A molecule with a basic skeleton made up of a skeleton of carbon atoms plus hydrogen and oxygen atoms and, in proteins, nitrogen. Organic molecules may also include isolated atoms of other elements. (11 Jan 1998) |
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| endothelial-leukocyte adhesion molecule | 115,000 Mw molecule on the surface of endothelial cells that is involved in blood leukocyte attachment to vessel walls as well as emigration from the vessels into the tissues. (05 Mar 2000) |
| alternative oxidase pathway | Pathway of mitochondrial electron transport in higher plants, particularly in fruits and seeds, that does not involve cytochrome oxidase and thus is resistant to cyanide. (18 Nov 1997) |
| alternative pathway | See: complement activation. (18 Nov 1997) |
| anabolic pathway | <biochemistry> A reaction or series of reactions in a metabolic pathway that synthesise complex molecules from simpler ones, usually requiring the input of energy. Compare: catabolic pathway. (09 Oct 1997) |
| auditory pathway | Neural paths and connections within the central nervous system, beginning at the organ of Corti's hair cells, continuing along the eighth nerve, and terminating at the auditory cortex. (05 Mar 2000) |
| GABA pathway | The pathway that ultimately converts 4-aminobutyrate to succinate; succinate is then converted to alpha-ketoglutarate, via the tricarboxylic acid cycle, which is then acted upon by glutamate dehydrogenase; glutamate is then decarboxylated to reform 4-aminobutyrate; an important pathway for those cells which make this neuroactive molecule. Synonym: GABA pathway. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Palade pathway | <cell biology> The routing of proteins from the site of their synthesis to the final cellular or secreted position. Several different pathways are known and others suspected. Glycosylation of the proteins may provide specific address labels for the proteins. (18 Nov 1997) |
| catabolic pathway | <biochemistry> A series of reactions in a metabolic pathway that break down complex compounds into simpler ones, usually releasing energy in the process. Compare: anabolic pathway. (16 Mar 1998) |
| pathway | 1. A collection of axons establishing a conduction route for nerve impulses from one group of nerve cells to another group or to an effector organ composed of muscle or gland cells. 2. Any sequence of chemical reactions leading from one compound to another; if taking place in living tissue, usually referred to as a biochemical pathway. (05 Mar 2000) |
| visual pathway | Neural paths and connections within the central nervous system, beginning with the retina and terminating in the occipital cortex. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pentose phosphate pathway | <biochemistry> A pathway of hexose oxidation in which glucose-6-phosphate undergoes two successive oxidations by NADP, the final one being an oxidative decarboxylation to form a pentose phosphate. Diverges from this when glucose-6-phosphate is oxidized to ribose 5 phosphate by the enzyme glucose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase. This step reduces NADP to NADPH, generating a source of reducing power in cells for use in reductive biosyntheses. In plants, part of the pathway functions in the formation of hexoses from carbon dioxide in photosynthesis. Also important as source of pentoses, for example for nucleic acid biosynthesis. This pathway is the main metabolic pathway in neutrophils, congenital deficiency in the pathway produces sensitivity to infection. Alternative metabolic route to Embden Meyerhof pathway for breakdown of glucose. (18 Nov 1997) |
| perforant pathway | A pathway of fibres originating in the lateral part of the entorhinal area, perforating the subiculum of the hippocampus, and running into the stratum moleculare of the hippocampus, where these fibres synapse with others that go to the dentate gyrus. It is also called the perforating fasciculus. (12 Dec 1998) |
| mercapturic acid pathway | A glutathione-dependent pathway for the detoxification of a number of compounds, including arene oxides; an S-substituted glutathione is formed and ultimately converted to a mercapturic acid (an S-substituted N-acetylated l-cysteine), which is excreted; the leukotrienes are believed to be degraded through this pathway. (05 Mar 2000) |
| RMP pathway | <biochemistry> Ribulose monophosphate pathway, also called allulose phosphate pathway. A metabolic pathway used by methylotropic bacteria for the conversion of formaldehyde to hexose sugars etc. In the first stage ribulose 5 phosphate is condensed with HCHO. (23 Aug 1998) |