| growth substance | <biology, cell biology> Signal molecules that are involved in the control of cell growth and differentiation. (12 Dec 1998) |
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| Rubner's laws of growth | The law of constant energy consumption: the rapidity of growth is proportional to the intensity of the metabolic processes, the law of the constant growth quotient: in most young mammals, 24% of the entire food energy, or calories, is utilised for growth; in humans only 5% is utilised. (05 Mar 2000) |
| comb-growth test | A test for androgenic activity, based upon the stimulation of comb growth in capons (castrated cockerels) or immature roosters. Synonym: capon-comb-growth test, cock's comb test. (05 Mar 2000) |
| plant growth regulators | Any of the hormones produced naturally in plants and active in controlling growth and other functions. There are three primary classes: auxins, cytokinins, and gibberellins. (12 Dec 1998) |
| plant growth substances | <plant biology> Substances that, at low concentration, influence plant growth and differentiation. Formerly referred to as plant hormones or phytohormones, these terms are now suspect because some aspects of the hormone concept, notably action at a distance from the site of synthesis, do not necessarily apply in plants. Also called plant growth regulators. The major classes are absicisic acid, auxin, cytokinin, ethylene and gibberellin, others include steroid and phenol derivatives. (31 Dec 1997) |
| platelet-derived growth factor | <growth factor> The major mitogen in serum for growth in culture of cells of connective tissue origin. It consists of 2 different but homologous polypeptides A and B (~30,000 D) linked by disulphide bonds. Believed to play a role in wound healing. It is carried in the alpha-granules of platelets and is released when platelets adhere to traumatised tissues. Connective tissue cells near the traumatised region respond by initiating the process of replication. The B chain is almost identical in sequence to p28sis, the transforming protein of simian sarcoma virus, that can transform only those cells that express receptors for platelet derived growth factor, suggesting that transformation is caused by autocrine stimulation. The receptor is a tyrosine kinase. Acronym: PDGF (12 Dec 1998) |
| multiplicative growth | Growth by an increase in the number of cells. (05 Mar 2000) |
| contact inhibition of growth | See: density dependent inhibition. (18 Nov 1997) |
| population growth | <epidemiology> Increase, over a specific period of time, in the number of individuals living in a country or region. (12 Dec 1998) |
| haematopoietic cell growth factors | These growth factors comprise a family of haematopoietic regulators with biological specificities defined by their ability to support proliferation and differentiation of blood cells of different lineages. Erythropoietin and the colony-stimulating factors belong to this family. Some of these factors have been studied and used in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and bone marrow failure syndromes. (12 Dec 1998) |
| sarcoma growth factor | <growth factor> Polypeptide released by sarcoma cells that promotes the growth of cells by binding to a cell surface receptor, the sarcoma cell is therefore self sufficient and independent of normal growth control. See: growth factors. The name is no longer commonly used. (18 Nov 1997) |
| heparin binding growth factor | <growth factor> Acidic fibroblast growth factor (alpha FGF, HBGF 1) and basic FGF (beta FGF, HBGF 2) are the two founder members of a family of structurally related growth factors for mesodermal or neuroectodermal cells. Synonym: heparin binding growth factor. Acronym: FGF (18 Nov 1997) |
| hepatocyte growth factor | <growth factor> Polypeptide mitogen originally shown to cause cell division in hepatocytes. In the liver, the main sources of hepatocyte growth factor are nonparenchymal cells. It is now clear that hepatocyte growth factor is a mitogen for a number of cell types and it is found in many cells outside the liver, including platelets. Hepatocyte growth factor is synthesised as a single chain precursor that is proteolytically cleaved to give a heavy chain (70 kD) and a light chain (30 kD) linked by a single disulphide bond. It contains multiple copies of the kringle domain. However, both the single chain precursor and the two chain forms of hepatocyte growth factor are biologically active and hepatocyte growth factor is generally isolated as a mixture of the two forms. Hepatocyte growth factor also alters cell motility and is now known to be identical to scatter factor. Acronym: HGF (18 Nov 1997) |
| pro-transforming growth factor-alpha processing protease | <enzyme> Converts membrane-bound protgf-alpha to soluble tgf-alpha; mw 84 kD Registry number: EC 3.4.21.- Synonym: protgf-alpha converting enzyme, protgfalpha processing protease (26 Jun 1999) |
| schwannoma derived growth factor | <growth factor> A growth factor containing an EGF like domain, mitogenic for astrocytes, Schwann cells and fibroblasts. (18 Nov 1997) |