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Glite Dictionary
🧬 A similar gene 🧪 A related compound 🤝 A counterpart
homolog

homolog

8.8
A compound in a chemical series that differs from the next by one CH2 group
  • noun
  • /ˈhɒməˌlɒg/
  • Specialized
translation icon : homólogo
  • Each homolog in the series has a distinct molecular weight, highlighting the significance of structural changes.

Examples

  • I left the best part for last, since the authors solved the structure of the HGT GH48, and when compared with other structural homologs, a particular omega loop facing the substrate binding part of the protein has a change in conformation.

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  • Chemists discovered a new homolog of the compound that exhibits unique properties due to its additional CH2 unit.

  • In bioinformatics, scientists often compare the characteristics of different homologs to understand evolutionary relationships.

Surface Forms

homolog singular
homologs plural

Morphology

homolog = homo + log (opaque) = homo + log

The term 'homolog' in chemistry is not directly derivable from the components 'homo' and 'log' without specialized knowledge.

Etymology

Homolog comes from the part homo- meaning 'same', a root you also see in homogeneous. In chemistry a homolog is a member of the same family that differs by a regular small unit such as one CH2 group, so the word points to things that are the 'same kind' with small changes.