Diffusion

the free movement of particles in a liquid or a gas

down a concentration gradient from an area where
they are at a relatively high concentration to an area
where they are at a relatively low concentration
Osmosis
the movement of water along a concentration gradient
through a partially permeable membrane
Active transport
energy is used to move substances against the
concentration gradient
Dipolarity
two parts of molecule having different charges
Hydrogen bonds
the bond formed by the weak electrostatic attraction of
oxygen to hydrogen atoms
Latent heat of evaporation
energy required to change a liquid to gas (attractions
between molecules)

High heat capacity

a lot of energy is needed to increase temperature

Arteries
transfer the blood from the heart to the rest of the body
Veins
carry blood back to the heart
tunica externa
an outer covering of tough collagen fibers (thin in
veins)
tunica media
a middle layer of smooth muscle and elastic fibers (thin
in veins)
endothelium
a lining of thin cells
lumen
where the blood flows through
Capillaries
very thin blood vessels that allow exchange of
materials to take place
Double circulation
A circulatory system with two circuits

Atria
chambers at the top of the heart that pump blood to the
ventricles
Ventricles
chambers at the bottom of the heart that pump blood to
the arteries
Aorta
artery that carries oxygenated blood from the heart to
the body
Pulmonary artery
carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs
Vena cava
vein that returns deoxygenated blood from the body to
the heart
Pulmonary vein
vein that carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to
the heart
Sino-atrial node
Cells in the heart that generate a rhythmic impulse
starting off the heart contraction

Atrio-ventricular node
delays the signal from the SAN to allow time for blood
to move from the atria to the ventricles
Purkinje fibers
conduct the signal from the base of the heart upwards
Septum
wall that separates the left and right sides of the heart

Systole
When the ventricles are contracting
Diastole
When the heart is relaxing
Carbohydrate
A biological molecule made of carbon, hydrogen and
oxygen
Monosaccharide
A single sugar molecule
Polysaccharide
A polymer containing many sugar molecules
Starch

A polysaccharide made of Amylose and amylopectin

used as a storage molecule in plants
Amylose
A straight chain polysaccharide with 1-4 glycosidic
bonds
Disaccharide
Two sugar molecules joined together
Amylopectin
A branched polysaccharide with 1-4 and 1-6 glycosidic
bonds
Glycogen
A branched polysaccharide used to store energy in
animals
Sucrose
A disaccharide made of glucose and fructose
Maltose
Made of two glucose molecules
Lactose
A disaccharide found in milk made of glucose and
galactose

Glycosidic bond
A bond formed between two sugar molecules
Hydrolysis reaction
A reaction that splits two molecules using water
Condensation reaction
A reaction that joins two molecules together and
produces water
Triglyceride
3 fatty acids joined to a glycerol molecule
Ester bond
A bond that links a fatty acid to a glycerol
Fatty acid
A chain of carbon molecules with a carboxyl group at
one end
Saturated
Contains no carbon-carbon double bonds
Unsaturated
Contains carbon-carbon double bonds
Phospholipids

A phosphate group joined to a glycerol and two fatty

acid chains

Hydrophobic
Repelled by water
Hydrophilic
Attracted to water
Bilayer
Two layers of phospholipids formed when surrounded
by water
Platelet
Cell fragment involved in the clotting process
Thrombin
Enzyme that converts fibrinogen into fibrin
Fibrin
An insoluble protein that forms a mesh to trap red
blood cells
Bilayer
Two layers of phospholipids formed when surrounded
by water

Carrier protein
A protein that binds with a specific ion or molecule and
helps it cross a membrane
Cell membrane
A membrane found either at the surface or inside a cell
Channel protein
A protein that spans a membrane and is involved in the
transport of molecules across the membrane
Endocytosis
A process which involves the transport of large
particles or fluids into cells. The cell surface membrane
surrounds the particles concerned. A vesicle is pinched
off from the membrane and moves into the cytoplasm
of the cell.
Exocytosis
A process which involves the transport of substances
out of cells. The vesicles move through the cytoplasm
and fuse with the cell surface membrane, releasing the
protein from the cell.
Facilitated diffusion
Large molecules and ions can only cross cell
membranes with the aid of carrier proteins.

Glycolipid
A molecule consisting of a lipid and a carbohydrate.
They form part of the cell-surface membrane
Glycoprotein
A protein molecule with a polysaccharide attached.
Partially permeable
A membrane that allows some molecules through but
not others
Water potential
A measure of the ability of water molecules to move.

Amino acid
The basic unit or monomer from which proteins are
formed.
Collagen
A tough fibrous protein found in animals.
Denature
When an enzyme loses its tertiary structure.
Enzyme

Proteins that speed up chemical reactions in living

organisms
Fibrin
An insoluble protein that forms a mesh to trap red
blood cells
Fibrous protein
A protein that is un-folded, often with several
polypeptide chains cross-linked together for additional
strength.
Globular protein
A protein where the polypeptide chain is folded into a
compact spherical shape
Haemoglobin
A protein found in the blood of many animals. Its main
function is the transport of oxygen.
Peptide bond
The bond joining two amino acids in a protein. Amino
acids join together by condensation
Primary structure
The sequence of amino acids in a protein or
polypeptide.

Protease
An enzyme that digests protein
Protein
A polypeptide is a molecule made from a large number
of amino acids joined by condensation.
Tertiary structure
The three-dimensional structure of a protein.
Secondary structure
Some sections of the polypeptide coil and fold.
Substrate
The molecule an enzyme acts on
Active site
The part of an enzyme molecule into which a substrate
molecule fits during a chemical reaction. It is like a
pocket on the surface of the enzyme and it has a
specific shape
Amylase
An enzyme that digests starch into soluble sugars. This
reaction involves the addition of water molecules so it
is an example of hydrolysis.
Enzymesubstrate complex,

In a chemical reaction controlled by an enzyme, one or

more substrate molecules fit into the active site of the
enzyme.
Induced fit theory
Model to explain the way in which an enzyme enables
a substrate to participate in a chemical reaction. When
the substrate enters the active site, the enzyme
changes shape, fitting more closely around the
substrate and speeding up the rate of reaction.
Lipase
An enzyme that breaks down triglycerides into glycerol
and fatty acids.
Lock-and-key theory
Model to explain the way in which an enzyme (the lock)
helps a substrate (the key) to participate in a chemical
reaction
Deoxyribose
The pentose sugar found in DNA
Ribose
The pentose sugar in RNA
Nucleotide
A five-carbon or pentose sugar; a phosphate group
and a base.

Phosphate
Joins two pentose sugars together in a polynucleotide
Base
Nitrogen containing molecule- there are five of them
Phosphodiester
Type of bond that holds bases in a polynucleotide
together
Anticodon
A sequence of three nucleotide bases on a transfer
RNA molecule, which is complementary to the
corresponding messenger RNA codon.
Chromosome
One of the thread-like structures in the nucleus into
which DNA is organized
Codon
A sequence of three nucleotide bases on a messenger
RNA molecule that codes for a particular amino acid
Complementary base pairing
The nucleotide bases in nucleic acids always pair in a
particular way
DNA polymerase

An enzyme that catalyses the joining together of

individual nucleotides to form a molecule of DNA
Semi-conservative replication
The process in which a molecule of DNA produces two
exact copies of itself.
Gene
A piece of DNA which has a specific sequence of
nucleotide bases. Each codes for a specific protein
mRNA
Carries information from DNA in the nucleus to the
cytoplasm for protein transcription.

RNA
A single-stranded molecule containing the sugar
ribose, a phosphate group and one of the four organic
acids: adenine, cytosine, guanine and uracil.
rRNA
Type of RNA which is found in ribosomes
Ribosome
A small organelle made of RNA and protein where
protein synthesis takes place

RNA polymerase
An enzyme involved in the process of transcription. It
helps join the RNA nucleotides together to form a
strand of mRNA
Template strand
The DNA strand that is copied during transcription
Transcription
The process in which the genetic information contained
in a DNA molecule is copied to produce messenger
RNA.
tRNA
A type of RNA involved in assembling amino acids into
the correct sequence during translation
Translation
A process which takes place on a ribosome, where
amino acids are joined to form a polypeptide.

Allele
One of the different forms of a particular gene
Carrier

In genetics, a carrier individual is heterozygous and so

carries the recessive allele.
Codominant
If both alleles are expressed in the phenotype of the
heterozygote
Dominant
An allele that, if present, is always shown
F1
A term used in genetics to refer to the offspring of a
cross between two organisms.
Gamete
A sex cell
Genome
All the DNA inside a cell
Germline
A gamete cell
Homologous chromosomes
Similar chromosomes
Homozygous

An organism in which the alleles of a particular gene

are identical to each other.

Locus
The position of a gene on a chromosome.
Heterozygous
An organism which has two different alleles of a
particular gene
Genotype
Describes an organism in terms of the alleles it
contains
Mutagen
An environmental factor that can increase the rate of
mutation
Mutation
A change in the genetic material in a cell resulting in a
change in the type or amount of a protein made
Phenotype
The characteristics of an organism, which result from
the genes the organism possesses and the
environment in which it lives

Recessive
Only shown when the other allele of the pair is identical
Somatic
Somatic cells are the body cells, not including germ
cells