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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| R
R-state: relaxed (oxygenated) state of
hemoglobin, compared to the tense or deoxygenated T-state.
RT: product of the gas constant R (1.987 cal/degree/mole) and the
absolute temperature Т At room temperature of 25°C or 25 + 273 = 298°K,
RT, the average kinetic energy of a mole of chemical substance is equal
to 1.987
× 298 = 592 cal/mole.
ρ-value: the apparent equilibrium distribution coefficient
It differs from the true equilibrium distribution coefficient or q-value
in that the p-value may or may not include solute adsorbed or otherwise
complexed to proteins or macromolecules in living cells or model
systems, whereas the q-value refers exclusively to solute dissolved in
the water within living cells or model systems.
radioactive: of, or exhibiting radioactivity, i.e., emitting
α-, β- or γ-rays by certain atoms.
radioactive tracer technique: A small amount of a radioisotope of
a substance is added to the non-radioactive substances so that the path,
reaction, or position of the substance may be followed or detected.
radioisotope: an isotope of an element which is unstable,
producing α, β or γ radiation.
raffinose: a trisaccharide containing one each of the following
three monosaccharides: D-glucose, D-fructose and D-galactose.
random-coil conformation: the hypothetical conformation of a
protein molecule in which the protein molecule in solution behaves like
a randomly-moving coiled chain unrestricted by inter- or
intra-macro-molecular H bonds.
rank order of ion selectivity: the sequential order in the
preference of, say a α-, β- or γ-carboxyl
group for members of the alkali metal ions due to a corresponding rank
order in their respective adsorption energies.
Rb+: rubidium ion. It is the most strongly adsorbed
among 5 alkali-metal ions usually studied on the α-,
β- or γ-carboxyl groups within and at the surface of normal
resting frog muscle cells.
receptor sites: a chemical group or ensemble of chemical groups
which function as a point of contact or engagement for biological
signals in the form of drugs, hormones or other cardinal adsorbents.
reciprocal: In this volume and other related scientific
literature (see reciprocal plot following), the reciprocal of a
concentration s is 1/s.
reciprocal plot: In enzyme kinetics and other related field of
quantitative biology and chemistry, the term reciprocal plot means a
plot of the variables on the ordinate and abscissa in their respective
upside-down inverted form. For example, see Equation A11 in Appendix 1.
rectilinear: characterized by straight lines.
rectilinear distribution curve, significance of: When a plot of
the equilibrium concentration of a solute S in a cell or model system
against the external concentration of that solute (Sex) shows
a straight-line or rectilinear relationship (as in Figs. 24, 26, 27), it
indicates that the solute is found only or virtually only in the cell
water. Thus existing evidence show that given sufficient time, virtually
all solutes investigated enter the cells and are found in the cell water
(at concentration, Sin). The Berthelot-Nemst distribution law
demands that there is a rectilinear relationship between Sin
and Sex. The presence of an additional fraction of adsorbed
or complexed S in the cell will as a rule add a "hyperbolic" or sigmoid
component making the full plot no longer rectilinear, (See top curves of
Fig. 54 and Fig. 59A.)
rectus muscle: a flat muscle extending the length of the abdomen
from the xiphoid process of the breastbone or sternum to the pubis In
the frog it is a slow muscle, responding to a stimulus by graded
contracture.
red blood cells: the oxygen transporting cells of mammalian blood
In humans, the red blood cells are shaped like biconcave disks about 7
Ǻ in diameter and 2
Ǻ thick with a depression in the middle.
red cell ghosts: When red blood cells are incubated in a large
body of a hypotonic solution, hemoglobin, K+ etc. leave the
cells. The largely discolored remains of the red blood cells are called
red cell ghosts.
relative vapor pressure: vapor pressure expressed as a percentage
of the vapor pressure at full saturation under identical conditions.
relaxation time: the time required for the excess population of
individual components of a system at the excited state to fall to 1/e
(1/2.718) or roughly 37% of its initial size.
Renaissance: a transitional movement in Europe between medieval
and modem times beginning in the 14th century in Italy lasting into the
17th and marked by a humanistic revival of classical influences
expressed in a flowering of the arts and literature and by the emergence
of modem science.
resealed red cell ghosts: Red blood cells turn into "ghosts" when
incubated in a hypotonic solution. If to such a suspension of red cell
ghosts is added enough sucrose (and ATP) to restore isotonicity of the
solution, the red cells may regain more or less their original size.
They are seen by some investigators at least as having resealed the
leaky holes in the cell membrane and become resealed red cell ghosts.
residue: When an amino acid is incorporated into a polypeptide or
protein that amino acid becomes an amino-acid residue. Examples: glycine
residue, lysine residue.
respiratory proteins: proteins of which the primary physiological
functions are in facilitating the gaseous exchange between the
respiratory organs like the lungs and gills and other body cells remote
from these respiratory organs Examples: hemoglobin, hemocyanin.
resting living state: the state of a normal living cell or
protoplasm when it is not in activity.
resting potential: the steady electrical potential difference
measured across the surface of resting living cells including muscle and
nerve.
Rhodnius: genus name of a blood-sucking bug.
ribonucleic acid, RNA: any of the nucleic acids that contain
ribose and uracil as structural components.
rigor: rigidness of organ
rigor mortis: temporary rigidity of muscles immediately following
death.
Ringer's solution: a solution resembling the blood serum in its
salt concentrations, first devised by and named after S. Ringer.
RNA: ribonucleic acid.
rotational diffusion coefficient: Dr given in units of
sec-1, is defined as <Θ2>
divided by 6τ,
where <Θ>
is the mean square displacement in time
τ.166
p 929
rotational entropy: the entropy possessed by a substance due to
the rotatory movements of its molecules.
Royal Institution: the first research institution founded in 1799
by Count von Rumford (Sir Benjamin Thompson) who was born in
Massachusetts and a scientist as well as statesman. Married for four
years to Antoine Lavoisier's widow, Marie Lavoisier. The Royal
Institution was made famous by Michael Faraday. Despite its name, it was
not financially supported by the Royalty.
Ruhland's ultrafilter theory: a theory of cell membrane offered
by W. Ruhland in the first decade of the 20th century In this theory,
the cell membrane acts like a sieve with pores of small size. Ruhland
believed that the speed of entry of various substances should vary with
the solute's molecular volume. (See also the size rule.)
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