Definitions
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun biochemistry Any of a class of bitter
steroids , found in plants of the familyCucurbitaceae , that prevent them being eaten byherbivores
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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There doesn't seem to be a complete understanding of what causes some cucumbers to be bitter but it is related to 2 compounds in the cucumber: cucurbitacin B and C.
Blek and learn. Michele 2007
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Sometimes, for various reasons, a few squashes or other plants will overproduce cucurbitacin.
The Seattle Times 2011
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The bitter taste, in fact, was the telltale clue: Plants in the family Cucurbitaceae squash, pumpkins, zucchini, cucumbers, melons and gourds produce a bitter toxin - cucurbitacin - as a defense mechanism against insects, said Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett in the latest issue of "Epi-Log," a communicable disease and epidemiology newsletter produced by Public Health - Seattle & King County.
The Seattle Times 2011
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After the successful robotic test of cucurbitacin-I, researchers showed that STAT3, which turns on and off the activity of a number of genes, is unusually active in NF1 tumor cells.
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Gutmann says cucurbitacin-I is likely too toxic to be suitable for use in clinical trials at this time.
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After the successful robotic test of cucurbitacin-I, researchers showed that STAT3, which turns on and off the activity of a number of genes, is unusually active in NF1 tumor cells.
Science Blog BJS 2010
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Gutmann says cucurbitacin-I is likely too toxic to be suitable for use in clinical trials at this time.
Science Blog BJS 2010
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After the successful robotic test of cucurbitacin-I, researchers showed that STAT3, which turns on and off the activity of a number of genes, is unusually active in NF1 tumor cells.
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Gutmann says cucurbitacin-I is likely too toxic to be suitable for use in clinical trials at this time.
Science Blog BJS 2010
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After the successful robotic test of cucurbitacin-I, researchers showed that STAT3, which turns on and off the activity of a number of genes, is unusually active in NF1 tumor cells.
Science Blog BJS 2010
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