Higher Animal

Phosphonothioate Esters of Phenols. Phosphonates with a single P—C bond are highly toxic and persistent iasecticides but have not been used extensively because some compounds produce delayed neuropathy leading to irreversible paralysis ia higher animals, including humans. Such compounds specifically inhibit an enzyme, neurotoxic esterase, that is responsible for the growth and maintenance of long nerve axons (31,32). 

Bile Pigments. The oxidative degradation of heme yields open-chain tetrapyrrole as a waste product in humans and other higher animals. The yellow color of the skin in jaundice victims is caused by the presence of biluubin [635-65-4] (32, R = (CH2)2COOH). 

Antibody A protein (immunoglobulin) produced by humans and higher animals in response to exposure to a specific antigen, and characterized by specific reactivity with its complementary antigen. 

Antigen A substance, usually a protein or carbohydrate, which when introduced in the body of a human or higher animal, stimulates the production of an antibody that will react specifically with it. 

Steriods A group of organic compounds, some of which act as hormones to stimulate cell growth in higher animals and humans. 

Morphine. This alkaloid exerts both a depressing and a stimulating action on the central nervous system, the depression affecting the brain especially the sensation of pain and the respiration the cerebral motoi functions are less affected. The stimulant action in the cord is best seen in the cold-blooded animals, when it may develop into tonic convulsions. In higher animals, but rarely in man, there may be some indication of this stimulant action. In cats it may also involve the motor areas, and they... 

In higher animals, large percentages of the terminal cisternae of cardiac muscle are not associated with t-tubules at all. For SR of this type, Ca release must occur by a different mechanism from that found in skeletal muscle. In this case, it appears that Ca leaking through sarcolemmal Ca channels can trigger the release of even more Ca from the SR. This latter process is called Ca -induced Ca release (abbreviated CICR). 

The numerous biotransformations catalyzed by cytochrome P450 enzymes include aromatic and aliphatic hydroxylations, epoxidations of olefinic and aromatic structures, oxidations and oxidative dealkylations of heteroatoms and as well as some reductive reactions. Cytochromes P450 of higher animals may be classified into two broad categories depending on whether their substrates are primarily endogenous or xenobiotic substances. Thus, CYP enzymes of families 1-3 catalyze... 

Microtubules are universally present in eukaryotes from protozoa to the cells of higher animals and plants (Porter, 1966 Hardham and Gunning, 1978 Lloyd, 1987), but they are absent in mammalian erythrocytes and in prokaryotes. Microtubules participate in a number of cellular functions including the maintenance of cell shape and polarity, mitosis, cytokinesis, the positioning of organelles, intracellular transport to specific domains, axoplasmic transport, and cell locomotion. The diversity of microtubule fimctions suggests that not all microtubules are identical and that different classes of microtubules are present in different cell types or are localized in distinct domains in the same cell type (Ginzburg et al., 1989). 

In terms of evolutionary biology, the complex mitotic process of higher animals and plants has evolved through a progression of steps from simple prokaryotic fission sequences. In prokaryotic cells, the two copies of replicated chromosomes become attached to specialized regions of the cell membrane and are separated by the slow intrusion of the membrane between them. In many primitive eukaryotes, the nuclear membrane participates in a similar process and remains intact the spindle microtubules are extranuclear but may indent the nuclear membrane to form parallel channels. In yeasts and diatoms, the nuclear membrane also remains intact, an intranuclear polar spindle forms and attaches at each pole to the nuclear envelope, and a single kinetochore microtubule moves each chromosome to a pole. In the cells of higher animals and plants, the mitotic spindle starts to form outside of the nucleus, the nuclear envelope breaks down, and the spindle microtubules are captured by chromosomes (Kubai, 1975 Heath, 1980 Alberts et al., 1989). 

Mitochondria are unique organelles in man and higher animals in that they contain their own genome. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in humans is a small (16.5 kb), circular genome that encodes only 13 proteins, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA), and 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) molecules. mtDNA is inherited only from the mother and is present in multiple copies within one mitochondrion. 

Peakall, D.B. (1992). Animal Biomarkers as Pollution Indicators—A wide-ranging account of biomarker assays in higher animals. 

Figure 12-5. Structure of ubiquinone (Q). n = Number of isoprenoid units, which is 10 in higher animals, ie,Q,o-...

The formation of hard skeletal structures that give some life forms their shape is a consequence of calcium. Simply said, the shells of lower organisms are generally made up of brittle calcium carbonate and the interior skeletons of higher animals are made up of tough calcium phosphate. 

As a consequence of their environmental persistence, most OC pesticides have become ubiquitous pollutants therefore, these compounds are detectable in trace amounts in biological tissues of higher animal species, including... 

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