Life at the Cell and Below-Cell Level. The Hidden History of a Fundamental Revolution in Biology
by
Gilbert N. Ling, Ph.D.
Pacific Press
2001
ISBN 0-9707322-0-1
"Dr. Ling is one of the most inventive biochemist I have ever met."
Prof. Albert Szent-Györgyi, Nobel Laureate
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A Super-Glossary
for Words, Terms and Basic Concepts Used in the Book
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IAA: abbreviation of iodoacetic acid
I-bands: the optically less dense bands of muscle striations It corresponds to the region of the sarcomere between the ends of the thick-filaments.
iceberg theory: a theory according to which crystalline ice surrounds protein molecules.
ideal gas: See perfect gas.
I-effect: short for inductive effect transmitted through intervening atoms.
imbibition water: water taken up by colloidal materials often causing it to expand.
imino group: relating to or containing the NH group or a substituted group NR united to a radical other than an acid radical.
impermeant: that which cannot permeate.
impulse: a wave of excitation propagating along the surface of living cells like nerve and muscle that results in physiological activity or inhibition.
in vitro: Latin in glass (test tube).
in vivo: Latin in living (matter).
inanimate model: a non-living model.
indole group: 2,3-benzopyrrole, leaflets with intensely fecal odor Paradoxically, at very low concentration, it offers a pleasant odor and is used in perfumery.
inducer: molecules that cause the production of larger amounts of the enzymes involved in their uptake and metabolism, compared to the amounts bound in cells growing in the absence of an inducer Thus lactose acts as an inducer in the activation of the lac operon in E. coli.
inductive effect: When the hydrogen atoms on the methyl group of an acetic acid are replaced by the more electronegative (possessing greater power to draw electrons toward itself due to larger nuclear positive charges) chlorine atoms, it cause unequal sharing of electron pairs between neighboring carbon atoms and this unequal sharing propagates to reach the singly-charged carboxyl oxygen atom leading to a weakening of the affinity of the negatively charged oxygen for
H+ and a marked lowering of the pK. The long range impact produced by the Cl for H substitution exemplifies the inductive effect.
inflection point: a change of curvature with respect to a fixed line from convex to concave or vice versa. In a standard titration curve of a (pure) acid, a change of curvature from convex upward to concave downward occurs at the mid-titration point, at which the pH of the solution is equal to the pK. of the acid being titrated.
influx: inward flow.
influx profile: By plotting the fractional uptake of a substance into a living cell or model system at time t against the square root oft, one obtains a distinct profile, which can be used to determine the rate-limiting step in the diffusion
process (Fig. 38).
Infusoria: early name given to minute living organisms including protozoa and bacteria.
initiator: that which initiates.
integration constant: In calculus, integration of differentials or
differential equations produces a function plus a constant, which is called an integration constant.
interaction energy: energy produced as a result of an interaction between two entities.
intercellular space, extracellular space: space between cells making up a tissue.
intercept: the distance from the origin where a curve crosses a coordinate axis.
interfacial tension: The work required to enlarge the surface of separation between two immiscible or partially miscible liquid (in dynes per cm) is the interfacial tension.
intestinal epithelial cells: epithelial cells forming the inner lining of the intestine
intramacromolecular H-bonds: H-bonds formed within the same macromolecule, e.g.,
α-helical H-bonds.
"intrinsic activity": physiological activity produced by a unit receptor-pharmacon complex.
intrinsic equilibrium constant (Kooi–>j): in a system containing two alternative adsorbents i and j, the equilibrium constant for an i to j exchange on a site flanked on one side by an i adsorbent and on the other side by a j adsorbent, so that the i to j exchange in the midsite does not alter the number of ij neighboring pairs in the system.
introvert model: A globular protein with all or almost all of its backbone carbonyl groups engaged in
α-helical or other intra- and/or intermacromolecular H-bonds, constitutes an introvert model. Introvert models as a rule do not interact or interact weakly with the bulk-phase water.
inulin: a tasteless water-soluble polysaccharide from tubers and rhizomes of various plants.
inulin probe method: a common method using inulin as probe to determine the volume occupied by the extracellular space of living tissues.
iodoacetate: ICH2COOH, a metabolic poison inhibiting glycolysis and the regeneration of ATP.
ion: an electrically charged atom, radical or molecule formed by the loss or gain of one or more electrons (For historical origin of this work, see anion.)
ion exchange resin: synthetic resin containing fixed ionic groups used to purify ions or (ion-containing) water.
ion exchange resin sheet: flat sheet of ion exchange resin cast on an inert nylon fabric.
ion permeation: diffusion of an ion through or into a barrier.
ionic bond, electrovalent bond: The bond formed between a positively charged ion or group and a negatively charged ion or group is electrostatic in nature and sometimes called an ionic bond.
ionophores: molecules which can combine selectively with certain ions and ferry them across water-insoluble phospholipid bilayers. The antibiotic valinomycin, for example, is a
K+ specific ionophore.
ionic dissociation: dissociation of salts, acids or bases producing charged particles or ions.
ionic strength: G. N. Lewis and M. Randall introduced in 1921 the concept of the ionic strength, I, defined as one half of the sum of the terms obtained by multiplying the molality (m or concentration) of each ionic species present in the solution by the square of its valence, z:
I = ½ Σi
zi2 mi.
ionic theory: the theory proposed by A. L. Hodgkin in 1951 for the electrical potential of living cells.
isethionic acid, isethionate ion: hydroxyethyl-sulfonic acid (HOCH2CH2SO3H); hydroxyethyl-sulfonate
ion (HOCH2CH2SO3-).
Ising model: See one-dimensional Ising model.
isobutyric acid: (СН3)2СНСООН, liquid with pungent odor.
isotherm: an equation or law describing the quantitative relationship between different reactants at equilibrium at the same temperature.
isotonic: a solution possessing the same osmotic concentration as the plasma of a given animal.
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