HELIX (helices)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: helices   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does Helix mean? 

• HELIX (noun)
  The noun HELIX has 3 senses:

1. a curve that lies on the surface of a cylinder or cone and cuts the element at a constant angle

2. a structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops

3. type genus of the family Helicidae

  Familiarity information: HELIX used as a noun is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HELIX (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A curve that lies on the surface of a cylinder or cone and cuts the element at a constant angle

Classified under:

Nouns denoting two and three dimensional shapes

Synonyms:

helix; spiral

Hypernyms ("helix" is a kind of...):

curve; curved shape (the trace of a point whose direction of motion changes)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "helix"):

double helix (a pair of parallel helices intertwined about a common axis)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A structure consisting of something wound in a continuous series of loops

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

coil; helix; spiral; volute; whorl

Context example:

a coil of rope

Hypernyms ("helix" is a kind of...):

construction; structure (a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "helix"):

hank (a coil of rope or wool or yarn)

Derivation:

helical (in the shape of a coil)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Type genus of the family Helicidae

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

genus Helix; Helix

Hypernyms ("Helix" is a kind of...):

mollusk genus (a genus of mollusks)

Meronyms (members of "Helix"):

edible snail; Helix pomatia (one of the chief edible snails)

garden snail (any of several inedible snails of the genus Helix; often destructive pests)

brown snail; Helix aspersa (serious garden pest having a brown shell with paler zigzag markings; nearly cosmopolitan in distribution)

Helix hortensis (a kind of garden snail)

Holonyms ("Helix" is a member of...):

family Helicidae; Helicidae (land snails including the common edible snail and some pests)

 Context examples 

Base pairs are nearly perpendicular to the helix axis and sugar pucker is C2'-endo.

(B-DNA, NCI Thesaurus)

It consists of approximately 110 amino acids in a left-handed up-and-down four helix bundle with a left handed twist.

(Bromodomain, NCI Thesaurus)

As a result, the helices are quite stable.

(Coiled-Coil Domain, NCI Thesaurus)

In addition, the 2,371-aa protein contains an N-terminal leucine zipper motif, 3 putative transmembrane helices, an endoplasmic reticulum signal sequence, and 2 peroxisomal targeting signals.

(Neuroblastoma-Amplified Sequence, NCI Thesaurus)

Base pairs are tilted to helix axis and displaced from axis and sugar pucker is C3'-endo (in RNA 2'-OH inhibits C2'-endo conformation).

(A-DNA, NCI Thesaurus)

This family of proteins adopts a four-helix bundle fold with up-up-down-down topology and contains intramolecular disulfide bonds.

(Oncostatin M, NCI Thesaurus)

A powder formulation containing a triple helix beta-glucan, isolated from the cell walls of the shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes), with potential immunostimulating activity.

(Beta-Glucan MM-10-001, NCI Thesaurus)

Tandem repeats form a right-handed superhelix (3 helixes per unit); tight repeat packing creates a cylindrical hydrophobic core throughout the structure.

(Armadillo Repeat, NCI Thesaurus)

Found in proteins that regulate apoptosis, conserved a-helix BCL-2 Homology (BH1-4) Domains are critical to protein apoptotic function and the protein ability to interact/dimerize with other family members or regulatory proteins.

(BH1 Domain, NCI Thesaurus)

During NER in eukaryotes, protein complexes detect DNA shape irregularities, induce cuts on each side of the lesion, remove the damaged fragment, and repair the helix by synthesis and ligation.

(Nucleotide Excision Repair Inhibition, NCI Thesaurus)