MACROMOLECULE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does macromolecule mean? 

• MACROMOLECULE (noun)
  The noun MACROMOLECULE has 1 sense:

1. any very large complex molecule; found only in plants and animals

  Familiarity information: MACROMOLECULE used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MACROMOLECULE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any very large complex molecule; found only in plants and animals

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

macromolecule; supermolecule

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

molecule ((physics and chemistry) the simplest structural unit of an element or compound)

organic compound (any compound of carbon and another element or a radical)

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

protein (any of a large group of nitrogenous organic compounds that are essential constituents of living cells; consist of polymers of amino acids; essential in the diet of animals for growth and for repair of tissues; can be obtained from meat and eggs and milk and legumes)

carbohydrate; saccharide; sugar (an essential structural component of living cells and source of energy for animals; includes simple sugars with small molecules as well as macromolecular substances; are classified according to the number of monosaccharide groups they contain)

lipid; lipide; lipoid (an oily organic compound insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents; essential structural component of living cells (along with proteins and carbohydrates))

nucleic acid ((biochemistry) any of various macromolecules composed of nucleotide chains that are vital constituents of all living cells)

Derivation:

macromolecular (relating to or consisting of or characterized by macromolecules)

 Context examples 

Any subcellular or molecular event, process, or condition involved in translocation of a biological macromolecule from one site or compartment to another, entirely within a cell.

(Intracellular Transport, NCI Thesaurus)

Iodine I 124 iodo-azomycin galactopyranoside (I-124 IAZGP) is reduced under hypoxic conditions, covalently binding to macromolecules in hypoxic cells.

(Iodine I 124-Iodo-Azomycin Galactopyranoside, NCI Thesaurus)

When they recombine, they form very complex macromolecules, a process first found to occur in the upper atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan.

(New Horizons Finds Blue Skies and Water Ice on Pluto, NASA)

The two main classes of macromolecules that form the extracellular matrix are: glycosaminoglycans, usually linked to proteins (proteoglycans), and fibrous proteins (e.g., COLLAGEN, ELASTIN, FIBRONECTINS AND LAMININ).

(Extracellular Matrix Protein, NLM, Medical Subject Headings)

Efatutazone binds to and activates PPAR-gamma, a nuclear hormone receptor and a ligand-activated transcription factor controling gene expression involved in macromolecule metabolism and cell differentiation, specifically adipocyte differentiation.

(Efatutazone Dihydrochloride, NCI Thesaurus)

Any cellular process involved in the translocation of charged macromolecules, solutes and solvents into or out of a cell.

(Ion Transport Process, NCI Thesaurus)

Ipomeanol is activated by mixed function oxidases in vivo to its epoxide form, an alkylating agent that covalently binds cell macromolecules.

(Ipomeanol, NCI Thesaurus)

Pentamethylmelamine alkylates DNA and other macromolecules and forms DNA intrastrand and DNA-protein crosslinks, thereby preventing DNA replication.

(Pentamethylmelamine, NCI Thesaurus)

After attachment to cell-surface steroid receptors and uptake, phenesterin enters the nucleus where it alkylates macromolecules, resulting in decreased cell proliferation.

(Phenesterin, NCI Thesaurus)

A functional macromolecule composed of nanoscale components.

(Nanodevice, NCI Thesaurus)