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C

Cancer Diseases in which abnormal cells divide and grow unchecked. Cancer can spread from its original site to other parts of the body and can also be fatal if not treated adequately.

Candidate gene is a gene, located in a chromosome region suspected of being involved in a disease, whose protein product suggests that it could be the disease gene in question.

Carbon Symbol C. A nonmetallic element of primary industrial and biological importance. It has three main allotropic forms: diamonds, graphite, and fullerenes.

Carboxylic acids are organic compunds containing the group -COOH. Vinegar is diluted (to 5%) carboxylic acid called Acetic Acid or Ethanoic Acid with a formula CH₃COOH.

Cartesian coordinates is the most common system where the coordinates of the individual atoms are given as X, Y, and Z coordinates in 3-D space with the three axes defined at right angles to each other (orthogonal).

The usual dimensional unit is angstroms Å (10-8 cm). Much less frequently the dimensions are quoted in picometres (pm). An average small molecule which is about 12-15 angstroms long will have x, y, z coordinates between about 0 and 15 if one of the atoms at one end of the molecule lies at the origin 0,0,0.
In very large molecules such as proteins the coordinates can be quite large numbers. Usually but not always there is a line in the file which contains:

1 1 1 90 90 90
to indicate the coordinates are Cartesian with a unit cell length of 1 and 90 degrees between each side. This is not always present as some programs assume you only work in Cartesian coordinates.

cDNA LIbrary A collection of DNA sequences generated from mRNA sequences. This type of library contains only protein-coding DNA (genes) and does not include any non-coding DNA.

Cell is the basic unit of any living organism. It is a small, watery, compartment filled with chemicals and a complete copy of the organism's genome.

cellulose: a natural polymer found in wood and other plant material.

Centimorgan is a measure of genetic distance that tells how far apart two genes are. Generally one centimorgan equals about 1 million base pairs.

Centromere The constricted region near the center of a human chromosome. This is the region of the chromosome where the two sister chromatids are joined to one another.

Chromosome is one of the threadlike "packages" of genes and other DNA in the nucleus of a cell. Different kinds of organisms have different numbers of chromosomes. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes, 46 in all: 44 autosomes and two sex chromosomes. Each parent contributes one chromosome to each pair, so children get half of their chromosomes from their mothers and half from their fathers.

Client: Most commonly in distributed computing, it is the software that a user runs.

Cloning The process of making copies of a specific piece of DNA, usually a gene. When geneticists speak of cloning, they do not mean the process of making genetically identical copies of an entire organism.

Cloning is the process of making copies of a specific piece of DNA, usually a gene. When geneticists speak of cloning, they do not mean the process of making genetically identical copies of an entire organism.

Codon Three bases in a DNA or RNA sequence which specify a single amino acid.

composite polymer: a filled or reinforced plastic.

condensation polymer: one in which two or more molecules combine resulting in elimination of water or other simple molecules, with the process being repeated to form a long chain molecule.

Conformer A particular 3-dimensional arrangement of atoms in one molecule

Configuration The manner in which 4 different substituents are arranged off a chiral carbon; related chemical structure produced by the making and breaking of primary valence bonds.

Conformation One particular 3-dimensional arrangement of a molecule

Congenital is any trait or condition that exists from birth.

Conservation (in biological context) Changes at a specific position of an amino acid or (less commonly, DNA) sequence that preserve the physico-chemical properties of the original residue.

copolymer: a macromolecule consisting of more than one type of building unit.

Coulomb's Law is the force between two charged particles, regarded as point charges Q1 and Q2 a distance d apart, is proportional to the product of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.

CPK model This is a model of a molecule which gives an idea of the volume of a molecule as it has a surface at the van der Waal's radius of each atom of the molecule.

CPK color scheme In our computer visualization models we use this color arrangement.

creep: cold flow of a polymer.

cross-linking: occurs when primary valence bonds are formed between separate polymer chain molecules.

crystalline polymer: polymer with a regular order or pattern of molecular arrangement and a sharp melting point.

Cystic fibrosis is a hereditary disease whose symptoms usually appear shortly after birth. They include faulty digestion, breathing difficulties and respiratory infections due to mucus accumulation, and excessive loss of salt in sweat. In the past, cystic fibrosis was almost always fatal in childhood, but treatment is now so improved that patients commonly live to their 20s and beyond.

Cytogenetic map: The visual appearance of a chromosome when stained and examined under a microscope. Particularly important are visually distinct regions, called light and dark bands, which give each of the chromosomes a unique appearance. This feature allows a person's chromosomes to be studied in a clinical test known as a karyotype, which allows scientists to look for chromosomal alterations.

Cytosine is one of the four bases in DNA that make up the letters ATGC, cytosine is the "C". The others are adenine, guanine, and thymine. Cytosine always pairs with guanine.

Author: Tug Sezen