Glossary

A | B | C | D |E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M
N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

antihypertensive
An agent that reduces high blood pressure.

aldosterone
A steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex, that controls salt and water balance in the kidney.

carboxypeptidase
Enzyme (particularly of pancreas) that remove the C terminal amino acid from a protein or peptide.

enzyme
A protein molecule produced by living organisms that catalyses chemical reactions of other substances without itself being destroyed or altered upon completion of the reactions.

histidine
An amino acid with an imidazole side chain with a pKa of 6-7. Acts as a proton donor or acceptor and has high potential reactivity and diversity of chemical function. Forms part of the catalytic site of many enzymes.

in vivo
Within the living body.

Ki
Symbol for the dissociation constant of an inhibitor.

proline
L-Proline is one of the twenty proteinogenic units which are used in living organisms as the building blocks of proteins. The other nineteen units are all primary amino acids, but due to the (3-carbon) cyclic sidechain binding back to the nitrogen of the backbone, proline lacks a primary amine group (−NH2). The nitrogen in proline is properly referred to as a secondary amine. Proline is sometimes called an imino acid, but this is not correct, as imines contain a carbon-nitrogen double bond. The side chain binding to the nitrogen prevents rotation around the phi torsion angle, giving proline unique structural properties.

tyrosine
One of the twenty amino acids directly coded in proteins. Nonessential in humans since can be synthesised from phenylalanine.