As Biology Unit 2 Module 2

Front 1

A departure from full health.

Back 1

Disease

Front 2

A protein molecule that acts as a biological catalyst.

Back 2

Enzyme

Front 3

An organism that causes disease.

Back 3

Pathogen

Front 4

A polymer consisting of many amino acid monomers covalently bonded together.

Back 4

Protein

Front 5

A polymer of nucleotide molecules that form the instructions for the synthesis of proteins found within organisms. These nucleotides contain the 5-carbon sugar deoxyribose.

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DNA

Front 6

Complete mental, physical and social wellbeing.

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Health

Front 7

A type of white blood cell activated as part of the immune response.

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Lymphocyte

Front 8

A large, membrane-bound organelle found in eukaryotic cells, which contains the genetic material in the form of chromosomes.

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Nucleus

Front 9

A cell that can carry out phagocytosis and ingest bacteria or small particles. Macrophages and neutrophils are phagocytes.

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Phagocyte

Front 10

Protein or glycoprotein molecules on cell surfaces, used for attachment of specific substances such as hormones or viruses.

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Receptor site

Front 11

A preparation of antigens given to provide artificial immunity.

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Vaccine

Front 12

An organic compound that contains both an amino group(–NH2) and a carboxyl group (–COOH). The monomers of protein molecules.

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Amino acid

Front 13

A foreign molecule (which may be protein or glycoprotein) that can provoke an immune response.

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Antigen

Front 14

A lipid molecule (not a triglyceride) found in all cell membranes and involved in the synthesis of steroid hormones.

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Cholesterol

Front 15

Short extensions of eukaryotic cells, typically 2–10 µm long and 0.03 µm in diameter. Used for locomotion or to move fluids or mucus over a surface.

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Cilia

Front 16

Vessels that carry blood to the heart muscle.

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Coronary artery

Front 17

Describes a disease that spreads to many people quickly and affects a large proportion of the population.

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Epidemic

Front 18

A tissue that covers the outside of a structure.

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Epithelium

Front 19

Process by which the present diversity of living organisms arose from simple primitive organisms, with new species arising by natural selection.

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Evolution

Front 20

Mixture of lipids, mainly triglycerides with saturated fatty acids, that is solid at body temperature. Act as an energy store, insulation, waterproofing and may give buoyancy.

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Fat

Front 21

Mucus-secreting cells in epithelial tissue.

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Goblet cell

Front 22

The protein that carries oxygen in the red blood cells.

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Haemoglobin

Front 23

Chemicals made in endocrine glands that are carried in the blood to target cells/tissues/organs. They act as chemical messengers.

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Hormone

Front 24

A response to an antigen, which involves the activation of lymphocytes.

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Immune response

Front 25

A cavity surrounded by a cell wall in cells, such as xylem vessels, which have lost their cell contents. Also used for the central cavities of blood vessels.

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Lumen

Front 26

Membrane-bound vesicles made by pinching off from the Golgi body. They usually contain digestive enzymes.

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Lysosome

Front 27

Nuclear division that results in the formation of cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell.

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Mitosis

Front 28

A slimy substance secreted by goblet cells in animal epithelial tissues. It is made up mostly of glycoproteins and protects and/or lubricates the surface on to which it is secreted.

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Mucus

Front 29

A change in the structure of DNA, or in the structure and number of chromosomes.

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Mutation

Front 30

The total substances taken into an animal or plant for use in metabolism (the sum total of its diet).

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Nutrition

Front 31

Describes a disease that is spreading worldwide or over continents.

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Pandemic

Front 32

An organism that lives in or on another living organism (its host), deriving nutrition from the host, benefiting at the expense of its host.

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Parasite

Front 33

The process in which energy is released from complex molecules, such as glucose, within cells and transferred to molecules of ATP.

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Respiration

Front 34

A factor that increases the chance that you may develop a particular disease.

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Risk factor

Front 35

An external pressure that drives evolution in a particular direction.

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Selection pressure

Front 36

A blood clot.

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Thrombus

Front 37

Immunity that is acquired by activation of immune system.

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Active immunity

Front 38

Feature of a living organism that increases its chances of survival, for example thick fur on an animal that lives in a cold habitat.

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Adaptation

Front 39

Describes tissue consisting of cells that store fat/lipid.

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Adipose

Front 40

A version of a gene.

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Allele

Front 41

Small air sacs in the lungs.

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Alveoli

Front 42

A macrophage that has ingested a pathogen and displays some of the pathogen’s molecules on its cell surface membrane.

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Antigen-presenting cell

Front 43

Hardening of the artery walls and loss of elasticity caused by atherosclerosis or by deposition of calcium.

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Arteriosclerosis

Front 44

Immunity acquired as a result of deliberate exposure to antigens or by the injection of antibodies.

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Artificial immunity

Front 45

Also called selective breeding – the process of improving a variety of crop plant or domesticated animal by breeding from individuals with desired characteristics.

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Artificial selection

Front 46

Numerical value found by dividing an individual’s mass in kg by the (height in m)2 and used to assess if the individual is underweight, acceptable weight, overweight or obese.

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Body mass index

Front 47

Airways in the lungs that lead from the trachea to the bronchioles.

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Bronchus

Front 48

Airways in the lungs that lead from the bronchi to the alveoli.

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Bronchiole

Front 49

A class of biological molecules with the general formula Cx(H2O)y. It includes sugars, starches, glycogen and cellulose.

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Carbohydrate

Front 50

A substance that causes cancer.

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Carcinogen

Front 51

Also known as the Plasma membrane.

Back 51

Cell surface membrane

Front 52

The movement of cells or organisms towards or away from a particular chemical.

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Chemotaxis

Front 53

The division of selected cells by mitosis to increase their numbers.

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Clonal expansion

Front 54

The selection of cells (of the immune system) with a specific receptor site. These cells will undergo expansion as part of the immune response.

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Clonal selection

Front 55

Refers to structures that fit together because their shapes and/or charges match up. For example, adenine and cytosine in DNA.

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Complementary

Front 56

To make narrow. For example, in the narrowing of blood vessels.

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Constrict

Front 57

An irreversible change in the tertiary structure of a protein molecule. It leads to loss of function in most proteins.

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Denaturation

Front 58

The period when the heart muscle in the ventricles is relaxing and blood pressure is at its lowest.

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Diastole

Front 59

The development and changes seen in cells as they mature to form specialised cells.

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Differentiation

Front 60

The net movement of molecules or ions in a gas or liquid from an area of high concentration to an area where they are less concentrated.

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Diffusion

Front 61

Tissue containing the protein elastin, which is able to stretch and recoil.

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Elastic tissue

Front 62

Describes a disease that is always present in an area. May also mean a species that is found only in a particular area and nowhere else.

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Endemic

Front 63

A tissue that lines the inside of a structure, such as a blood vessel.

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Endothelium

Front 64

The study of patterns of disease and the factors that influence their spread.

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Epidemiology

Front 65

Outer layer(s) of cells of a multicellular organism.

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Epidermis

Front 66

An organism having cells with a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles.

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Eukaryote

Front 67

A substance added to soil to enhance the growth of plants.

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Fertiliser

Front 68

Sex cells, usually haploid (one set of chromosomes). Fuse during sexual reproduction to form zygotes (diploid).

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Gamete

Front 69

A length of DNA that carries the code for the synthesis of one (or more) specific polypeptide(s).

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Gene

Front 70

Taxonomical group used in the classification of living organisms. Contains similar species.

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Genus

Front 71

A protein with carbohydrate molecules attached.

Back 71

Glycoprotein

Front 72

The place where an organism or population lives. It includes the climatic, topographic and edaphic factors as well as the plants and animals that live there.

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Habitat

Front 73

An animal that eats plant material.

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Herbivore

Front 74

The strands that make up the body of a fungus.

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Hyphae

Front 75

Ability of the immune system to respond very quickly to antigens that it recognises as they have entered the body before.

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Immunological memory

Front 76

The number of new cases of a disease in a certain time period.

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Incidence

Front 77

A group of protein factors with non-specific antiviral activity. They also affect the immune system.

Back 77

Interferon

Front 78

Fibrous protein found in skin, hair and nails.

Back 78

Keratin

Front 79

A diverse group of chemicals that includes triglycerides, fatty acids and cholesterol.

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Lipid

Front 80

A system of lymph nodes and lacteals with lymph fluid.

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Lymphatic system

Front 81

A disaccharide molecule consisting of two a-glucose molecules bonded together.

Back 81

Maltose

Front 82

Used by animal and plant breeders to help select individuals with the desired genotype. The desired gene is linked to a section of DNA that is easy to identify in a young individual.

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Marker-assisted selection

Front 83

B and T cells that remain in the body after an immune response. Their presence enables a much faster and greater second immune response.

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Memory cells

Front 84

All the chemical reactions that take place in an organism.

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Metabolism

Front 85

Large, phagocytic white blood cell.

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Monocyte

Front 86

Chemical produced by monocytes to signal to other cells. Also called lymphokines.

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Monokines

Front 87

The proportion of people in a population who are ill with a particular disease at any one time.

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Morbidity

Front 88

The number of people who die from a disease in a certain time period.

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Mortality

Front 89

Immunity acquired through exposure to disease during the normal course of life.

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Natural immunity

Front 90

The mechanism for evolution in which the best-adapted organisms in a population can outcompete those that are less well-adapted.

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Natural selection

Front 91

An animal that eats plant and animal material.

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Omnivore

Front 92

Infection caused by an organism that infects a host with a weakened (compromised) immune system.

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Opportunistic infection

Front 93

Structure inside a cell. Each has a specific function and many are surrounded by membrane.

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Organelle

Front 94

The movement of water molecules from a region of higher water potential to a region of lower water potential across a partially permeable membrane.

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Osmosis

Front 95

Immunity acquired indirectly without activation of the lymphocytes, such as through the placenta, from breast milk, or by injection.

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Passive immunity

Front 96

A vacuole inside a phagocyte which is created by an infolding of the plasma (cell surface) membrane to engulf a foreign particle. The foreign particle is held inside this.

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Phagosome

Front 97

Process by which plants, some bacteria and some protoctists make food using carbon dioxide, water and sunlight energy.

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Photosynthesis

Front 98

Fatty material built up under the endothelium of an artery.

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Plaque

Front 99

The membrane that surrounds every cell, forming the selectively permeable boundary between the cell and its environment.

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Plasma membrane

Front 100

Fragments of cells in the blood that play a part in blood clotting.

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Platelets

Front 101

A polymer consisting of many amino acid monomers covalently bonded together.

Back 101

Polypeptide

Front 102

A measure of the impact of disease based on the number of people with the disease at a certain time.

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Prevalence

Front 103

An organism with cells that do not contain a true nucleus.

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Prokaryote

Front 104

A type of muscle (involuntary muscle) found mostly in certain internal organs and involved in involuntary movements such as peristalsis.

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Smooth muscle

Front 105

A group of organisms whose members are similar to each other in shape, physiology, biochemistry and behaviour, and can interbreed to produce fertile offspring.

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Species

Front 106

A polysaccharide found in plant cells. It is formed from the covalent bonding together of many glucose molecules.

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Starch

Front 107

The substance that is used up in an enzyme-controlled reaction, leading to the formation of product. It fits into the active site of the enzyme at the start of the reaction.

Back 107

Substrate

Front 108

A group of similar cells that perform a particular function.

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Tissue

Front 109

The fluid, derived from blood plasma, that surrounds the cells in a tissue.

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Tissue fluid

Front 110

The windpipe leading from the back of the mouth to the bronchi.

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Trachea

Front 111

The way in which a microorganism or other pathogen travels from one host to another.

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Transmission

Front 112

A molecule consisting of a glycerol molecule and three fatty acid molecules covalently bonded together.

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Triglyceride

Front 113

An organism that carries a disease-causing organism (pathogen) from one host to another. Also describes an agent (such as a plasmid) that can transfer genetic material.

Back 113

Vector

Front 114

Chemical needed in small amounts for healthy metabolism. Some organisms can make them, some organisms have to obtain them in the diet.

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Vitamin

Front 115

A measure of the ability of water molecules to move freely in solution. Decreased by the presence of solutes.

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Water potential

Front 116

Diploid cell made from fusion of male and female gametes.

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Zygote

Front 117

Molecules produced by microorganisms that kill or limit the growth of other microorganisms. Some are useful as drugs.

Back 117

Antibiotics

Front 118

Protein molecules released by the immune system in response to an antigen, which are capable of neutralising the effects of the antigen by binding to it with high affinity.

Back 118

Antibodies

Front 119

Hormone-like proteins produced by vertebrates, which are used for communication between cells, allowing some cells to regulate the activities of others.

Back 119

Cytokines

Front 120

Cell-signalling chemicals. Some are involved in activating cells of the immune system. A type of cytokine.

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Interleukin

Front 121

Cells that make keratin.

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Keratinocytes

Front 122

General term for white blood cells.

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Leucocyte

Front 123

Large, phagocytic, amoeba-like white blood cells that engulf, ingest and destroy bacteria, damaged cells and worn-out red blood cells. Important for antigen presentation.

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Macrophages

Front 124

Describes cytoplasm that is not divided into cells but contains many nuclei.

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Multinucleate

Front 125

Phagocytic white blood cells. They engulf and digest bacteria. They have a many-lobed nucleus, and a granular cytoplasm due to the large numbers of lysosomes present.

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Neutrophils

Front 126

Mature B-lymphocytes (white blood cells) that secrete a specific kind of antibody.

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Plasma cells

Front 127

Proteins made in the liver that are found in the non-cellular fraction of the blood.

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Plasma proteins

Front 128

The defences that prevent the entry of a pathogen into the body.

Back 128

Primary defences

Front 129

A lipid-soluble chemical made in the body that is involved in inflammatory reactions.

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Prostaglandin

Front 130

An enzyme capable of digesting proteins.

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Protease

Front 131

Processes that attempt to kill or inactivate pathogens that have already invaded the body.

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Secondary defences

Front 132

The overall three-dimensional shape of a protein molecule. Involves hydrogen bonding, disulfide bridges, ionic bonds and hydrophobic interactions.

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Tertiary structure

Front 133

The type of cell that responds to a particular hormone.

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Target cell

Front 134

Fluid that drains back to the venous circulation via the lymphatic system.

Back 134

Lymph

Front 135

A slight change in the three dimensional structure of a protein that may result in a change in activity. Often involved in regulation of enzyme activity.

Back 135

Conformational change

Front 136

Form of haemoglobin after binding irreversibly to carbon monoxide.

Back 136

Carboxyhaemoglobin

Front 137

Chemical that can induce mutations and increase the risk of cancer.

Back 137

Carcinogen