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Glossary
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redox reaction
A redox reaction is a chemical
reaction which consists of an oxidation reaction and a reduction reaction. That
is one species gains electrons -- it is reduced -- at the cost of the other,
which is oxidized. |
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reduced cofactors
Organic compounds that participate in redox reactions in the cell, used to
transfer energy in the form of electrons. These molecules become reduced by
accepting electrons from other molecules; reduced cofactors transfer their
energy by reducing other molecules, in the process becoming oxidized. Examples:
NAD/NADH, NADP/NADPH. |
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repressors
A (usually) protein molecule that binds the operator region of prokaryotic
operons to inhibit transcription. |
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resource(s)
Anything that is used by organisms to survive, grow,
and reproduce. |
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ribosome
A ribosome is a complex of RNA and proteins that can translate mRNA into
a polypeptide chain (e.g., a protein). They can be thought of as a factory that
builds a protein from a set of genetic instructions. Ribosomes are found in the
cytosol (the internal fluid of the cell) of all cells. Ribosomes consist of
two subunits that fit together and work as one to translate
the mRNA into a polypeptide chain. Each subunit consists of one or two
very large RNA molecules (known as ribosomal RNA or rRNA) and several smaller
protein molecules. |
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RNA
Ribonucleic acid; a single stranded nucleic acid carrying four nitrogenous
bases: adenine, guanine, cytosine, and uracil. There are several different forms
of RNA, including mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA, each with a different role in protein
production. |
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RNA
polymerase
The enzyme that adds nucleotides, one at a time, to
growing strands of RNA during transcription. |
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RuBisCo
Ribulose bis-phosphate carboxylase/oxygenase; the enzyme that fixes CO2
to RuBP during the Calvin-Benson cycle. RuBisCo also can fix oxygen during
photorespiration. |
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