protein molecule
1
3.9
- noun
- /ˈproʊtiːn ˈmɒlɪkjuːl/
- Specialized
:
molécula de proteína
- Antibodies are protein molecules that help protect the body from infections by recognizing and neutralizing harmful invaders.
It could uncoil the chains of giant protein molecules composing memory, and it could dissociate the complex neural patterns of the conscious and unconscious mind.
- It could uncoil the chains of giant protein molecules composing memory, and it could dissociate the complex neural patterns of the conscious and unconscious mind.
Examples
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They can be thought of as a matrix of protein molecules and water.
Academic text (1999) -
Bradley mentions that amino acids have to be put together in just the right manner to make a protein molecule.
Blog text (14) -
So what I'm doing by doing this is I'm causing those protein molecules to align.
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Approximately 60% of the people on whom I run food sensitivity tests have a dairy sensitivity, which means they are reacting to a protein molecule in milk.
Blog text (24) -
Antibodies are protein molecules that bind to antigens—such as bacteria—and remove them from the body.
Academic text (2005) -
For example, one of the basic mysteries in biology is how the linear chemical structure of a protein molecule specifies the way that it will wrap itself into a unique three-dimensional shape, which in turn determines its biological function.
Fiction book (1999) -
Growth factors are essential protein molecules that stimulate the growth and division of cells in the body.
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In the laboratory, scientists study how protein molecules fold and unfold to understand their functionality and interactions within living organisms.
Synonyms
435
2.8
Parts of food that help build and repair the body, like meat or beans
2
6.6
A long chain of at least ten amino acids joined together
1
3.7
A molecule that living things make, like proteins or DNA
1
7.3
A very large chemical made of many smaller parts like proteins or DNA
How Big
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning "a molecule that is a protein" is directly and transparently derived from combining 'protein' (a type of biological compound) with 'molecule' (a smallest bonded atomic unit). This straightforward noun–noun composition is a regular, cross-linguistically common pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Protein molecule comes from the Greek word 'protos' meaning 'first' and the word molecule which means a very small piece. Scientists called protein this way because they saw these substances as the first or main 'building parts' of living things, and molecule shows they are tiny. That's why protein molecule means 'a small, important part of cells'.