Organic compounds made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitro gen, and (in some cases) sulfur bonded in characteristic formations. Strings of amino acids make up proteins.
The chemical forma tion NH 2 , which is part of all amino acids.
The area of the bio logical sciences concerned with the chemical substances and processes in organisms.
The formation COOH, which is common to all amino acids.
A substance in which atoms of more than one element are bond ed chemically to one another.
A group of only two amino acids.
Deoxyribonucleic acid, a molecule in all cells and many viruses containing genetic codes for inheritance.
A protein material that speeds up chemical reactions in the bodies of plants and animals.
Amino acids that cannot be manufactured by the body, and which therefore must be obtained from the diet. Proteins that contain essential amino acids are known as complete proteins.
A unit of information about a particular heritable (capable of being inherited) trait that is passed from parent to offspring, stored in DNA molecules called chromosomes.
Molecules produced by living cells, which send signals to spots remote from their point of origin and induce specific effects on the activities of other cells.
A group of atoms, usually but not always representing more than one element, joined in a structure. Compounds typically are made up of molecules.
At one time chemists used the term organic only in reference to living things. Now the word is applied to compounds containing carbon and hydrogen.
A bond between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of a second amino acid.
Large, chainlike molecules composed of numerous subunits known as monomers.
A group of between 10 and 50 amino acids.
Large molecules built from long chains of 50 or more amino acids. Proteins serve the functions of promoting normal growth, repairing damaged tissue, contributing to the body's immune system, and making enzymes.
Ribonucleic acid, the molecule translated from DNA in the cell nucleus, the control center of the cell, that directs protein synthesis in the cytoplasm, or the space between cells.
To manufacture chemically, as in the body.
A group of three amino acids.
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