Biology key terms

A medical procedure in which cells or tissue are transferred into a patient to replace damaged or diseased material.

The transfer of living cells, tissue or an organ into a patient to replace damaged or diseased material.

An immune response in which a recipient's immune system recognises transplanted cells as foreign and attacks them.

Movement of substances between an organism and its environment, or between different parts of an organism.

A system that carries substances between exchange surfaces and cells in different parts of a multicellular organism.

A thin slice cut across a structure, allowing its tissues to be viewed in cross-section.

An overall direction or pattern in a set of results.

Thyrotropin-releasing hormone, which is produced by the hypothalamus and stimulates the pituitary gland to release TSH.

A storage lipid formed from one glycerol molecule joined to three fatty acid molecules.

A sequence of three DNA bases that codes for a particular amino acid.

Transfer RNA: an RNA molecule that carries a specific amino acid to a ribosome and has an anticodon complementary to an mRNA codon.

An organism's feeding position in a food chain.

A directional growth response of a plant to a stimulus.

The value that would be obtained by an ideal measurement; in practice, it is usually unknown.

Thyroid-stimulating hormone: a hormone released by the pituitary gland that stimulates the thyroid gland to release thyroxine.

A bacterial disease that damages the lungs.

A mass of abnormal cells produced by uncontrolled cell division.

A characteristic molecule on or in a cancer cell that can be used as a target for diagnosis or treatment.

A condition in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, causing uncontrolled high blood glucose.

A disease in which body cells do not respond properly to insulin, so blood glucose is not controlled effectively.

Effectiveness during ordinary use, including mistakes such as missed pills or condoms slipping.

How well a method prevents pregnancy in real life, including mistakes or failures in use.

A break or sore in the lining of an organ, such as the stomach.

The pressure-driven filtering of small substances from blood in the glomerulus into Bowman’s capsule.

The detailed structure of a cell that can be revealed using high-resolution microscopy.

A cell that has not yet acquired the structures needed to perform a particular specialised function.

A harmful effect that was not intended when a product or process was introduced.