| specific epithet | The label (or designation) of a particular species in the binomial nomenclature system. For example: coli is the specific epithet of Escherichia coli. (09 Oct 1997) |
|---|---|
| specific extinction | Absorbance (of light) per unit path length (usually the centimeter) and per unit of mass concentration. Compare: molar absorption coefficient. Synonym: absorbancy index, absorptivity, extinction coefficient, specific extinction. (05 Mar 2000) |
| specific granule | One of the two main classes of granules found in neutrophils: contain lactoferrin, lysozyme, Vitamin B12 binding protein and elastase. Are released more readily than the azurophil (primary) granules which have typical lysosmal contents. (18 Nov 1997) |
| specific gravity | A measure of concentration. It is the weight of a substance, as compared (as a ratio) with that of an equal volume of water. (27 Sep 1997) |
| specific haemolysin | A sensitizing, complement-fixing, haemolytic antibody that reacts totally or completely with red blood cells of the antigenic type used to stimulate the formation of the haemolysin. (05 Mar 2000) |
| specific heat | The amount of energy (measured in calories or joules) needed to raise thetemperature of one gram of a pure substance by one degree C. (09 Oct 1997) |
| specific heat capacity | <chemistry> The amount of energy required to raise the temperature of one gram of a substance by one degree Celsius (or Kelvin). (09 Jan 1998) |
| specific immune globulin | Globulin fraction of pooled serums (or plasma) selected for high titre of antibodies specific for a particular antigen, or from persons specifically immunised. (05 Mar 2000) |
| specific immunity | The immune status in which there is an altered reactivity directed solely against the antigenic determinants (infectious agent or other) that stimulated it. See: acquired immunity. (05 Mar 2000) |
| specific ionisation | <radiobiology> The number of ion pairs formed per unit of distance along the track of an ion passing through matter (16 Dec 1997) |
| specific optical dispersion | <microscopy> The difference between the refractive indices of light of two different wavelengths, both indices measured at the same temperature, the difference being divided by the specific gravity also measured in the same medium at the test temperature. For convenience, the specific dispersion value is multiplied by ten. (05 Aug 1998) |
| specific parasite | A parasite that habitually lives in its present host and is particularly adapted for the host species. (05 Mar 2000) |
| specific passive immunity | See: acquired immunity. (05 Mar 2000) |
| specific pathogen-free organisms | Animals or humans raised in the absence of a particular disease-causing virus or other microorganism. Less frequently plants are cultivated pathogen-free. (12 Dec 1998) |
| specific reaction | The phenomena produced by an agent that is identical with or immunologically related to the one that has already caused an alteration in capacity of the tissue to react. (05 Mar 2000) |
| pregnancy-specific beta 1-glycoprotein | A glycoprotein with the electrophoretic mobility of a beta-1 globulin. It is produced by the placental trophoblast and secreted into the maternal bloodstream during pregnancy. It can be detected 18 days after ovulation and its concentration in plasma rises steadily until, at the end of gestation, it reaches 200 mg/ml. It has been proposed as a measure of placental function for fertility control and is a candidate for an early pregnancy test. (12 Dec 1998) |
|---|---|
| prenylated peptide-specific endoprotease | <enzyme> Cleaves c-terminal tripeptide from prenylated protein having c-terminal sequence caax; race is rac and a-factor converting enzyme with same activity Registry number: EC 3.4.14.- Synonym: prenylated protein endoprotease, race enzyme, isoprenylated protein endopeptidase, isoprenylated protein endoprotease (26 Jun 1999) |
| cytosol non-specific dipeptidase | <enzyme> Also referred to as peptidase a (see synonym to penicillopepsin, EC 3.4.23.20) Registry number: EC 3.4.13.- Synonym: glycyl-l-leucine hydrolase, glycylleucine dipeptidase, gly-leu dipeptide peptidase, dipeptide hydrolase, glycyl-leucine dipeptidase (26 Jun 1999) |
| cytotoxic T lymphocyte-specific serine protease | <enzyme> Structural sequence given in first source Registry number: EC 3.4.21.- Synonym: cytotoxic t lymphocyte-specific serine protease ccp I, cytotoxic t lymphocyte specific serine protease ccp II, mast cell protease type II (26 Jun 1999) |
| proline-specific dipeptidylcarboxypeptidase | <enzyme> From streptomyces species; removes diproline form c-terminus of proline-containing peptides such as boc-pro-pro-pro-pro or leu-pro-pro-pro-pro-pro Registry number: EC 3.4.15.- Synonym: pro-dpp-carboxypeptidase (26 Jun 1999) |
| prostate-specific antigen | <tumour marker> A simple blood test used to detect prostate cancer in men. The test measures a specific antigen normally secreted by the prostate. If cancer is developing, the prostate secretes greater amounts of prostate-specific antigen. This test is recommended for men with an enlarged prostate and an increased risk of prostate cancer. It is an enzyme that is produced by epithelial cells of both benign and malignant prostate tissue. It is an important marker for the diagnosis of prostate cancer. It is a single chain 31 kilodalton glycoprotein with 240 amino acid residues and 4 carbohydrate side chains that is a kallikrein protease. It is found in normal seminal fluid and produced by the prostatic epithelial cells. Elevated levels in blood serum are associated with prostatic enlargement and prostatic adenocarcinoma, and this allows early detection of cancer in many cases. In about 70% of cases, the rise is due to a cancerous condition. No large scale clinical studies have been completed to assess the impact of testing on survival from prostate cancer, and the medical and economic value of testing remain uncertain. Acronym: PSA Registry number: EC 3.4.21.77 (22 Sep 2002) |
| pyrimidine-guanine sequence-specific ribonuclease | <enzyme> From yolk granules of adult rana catesbeiana oocytes Registry number: EC 3.1.27.- Synonym: rc-rnase, rana catesbeiana rnase (26 Jun 1999) |
| site-specific mutagenesis | <cell culture, molecular biology> An in vitro technique in which an alteration is made at a specific site in a DNA molecule, which is then reintroduced into a cell. Various techniques are used, for the cell biologist, a very powerful approach to determining which parts of a protein or nucleotide sequence are critical to function. (18 Nov 1997) |
| site specific mutation | An alteration of the structure of a gene at a specific sequence, usually referring to experimentally produced changes in gene sequence. (05 Mar 2000) |
| site-specific recombination | <molecular biology> A type of recombination that occurs between two specific short DNA sequences present in the same or in different molecules. An example is the integration and excision of _ prophage. (18 Nov 1997) |
| soluble specific substance | A soluble type-specific polysaccharide produced during active growth of virulent pneumococci composing a large part of the capsule. Synonym: pneumococcal polysaccharide, soluble specific substance, specific soluble polysaccharide, specific soluble sugar. (05 Mar 2000) |
| species-specific | Applying only to a particular species, said of effects that vary depending on the species in question. (09 Oct 1997) |
| species-specific antigen | Antigenic components in the tissues and fluids of members of a species of animal, by means of which various species may be immunologically distinguished; e.g., serum albumin of horses is immunologically different from that of man, dogs, sheep, and so on. (05 Mar 2000) |
| N(2),N(2)-dimethylguanosine-specific tRNA methyltransferase | <enzyme> Responsible for the modification of both mitochondrial and cytoplasmic trnas Registry number: EC 2.1.1.- Synonym: dmg trna methyltransferase (26 Jun 1999) |
| sporulation-specific cell wall hydrolase | <enzyme> From bacillus subtilis; 255-amino acid protein mw 27.146 kD; hydrolyzes both vegetative cell walls and spore peptidoglycan genbank d14666 Registry number: EC 3.- Synonym: cwlc gene product (26 Jun 1999) |