Glossary
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kainate receptorA type of excitatory amino acid receptor for which glutamate may be the endogenous ligand. It is named after its specific agonist ligand, kainate. The receptor is coupled to Na+/K+ channels in the cell membrane, which are opened when activated by the agonist. Activation by the agonist is indirect, through the action of G-protein, or guanine nucleotide binding protein, which acts as a transducer of information between the receptor and the ion channel. For more details on the structure and mechanism of signal transduction, see Carlson, Ch. 4; or Oxford Reference Online. | |
kin selectionNatural selection operating indirectly on a character by favouring the relatives of the individual having that character. For example, the genes that cause a woman’s reproductive activity to be switched off at a certain stage will be favoured by natural selection if, as a result of her post-reproductive behaviour, her progeny and those of other close relatives are more likely to survive. | |