cleavage

cleav·age (klēv′ij)

noun

a cleaving, splitting, or dividing
the manner in which a thing splits
a cleft; fissure; division
the hollow between a woman's breasts, as made visible by a low-cut neckline
Biol.
1. cell division, esp. the series of mitotic cell divisions that transform the fertilized ovum into the earliest embryonic stage
2. any single division in this series
Mineralogy the tendency of some minerals to break in definite planes, producing smooth surfaces

A cleaving
dividing, splitting, separating; see break 1, division 1, fracture 1.
A fissure
split, cleft, rift; see hole 1, 2.

Preposition: of

bond: Why is the cleavage of this bond by hydrolysis spontaneous?
protein: The cleavage of these proteins precludes fusion of the vesicles with the nerve membrane, thereby preventing release of neurotransmitters into the neuromuscular junction.

Converse of object

mediate: The enzyme DMSP-lyase, found in algae and some bacteria, mediates the cleavage of DMSP to DMS and acrylic acid.
involve: The reaction, which involves cleavage of 2 ~P bonds of ATP, is essentially irreversible.
show: Liz Hurley shows far more cleavage than Beatrice does.
follow: At higher photon energies, smaller fragment ions are formed following cleavage of more than one bond.

Adjective modifier

proteolytic: Note that some chains are formed by the proteolytic cleavage of an intact precursor chain.
ample: It just doesn't seem fashionable to have big tits these days and the size 20 jacket only just covers my ample cleavage.
social: Belgian opposition to the Emperor was marked by less social cleavage than had appeared in the Dutch rising.
political: RAE D and Taylor M ( 1970 ) The analysis of political cleavages.New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
specific: Specific cleavage of the apoB mRNA at the predicted site was demonstrated, using sophisticated analytical methods.

Modifies a noun

furrow: The mechanism by which the microtubules communicated the positioning of the cleavage furrow in mammalian cells was largely unknown.
plane: Between cleavage planes the atomic bonding is weak compared to within the planes.
site: The HA cleavage site relies on the presence of basic amino acids.
reaction: This cleavage reaction causes the firey glow in fireflies and certain types of fish, hence its name.
pattern: The cocktail produced specific cleavage patterns, or fingerprints, for a variety of proteases.
product: The individual cleavage products of the polyprotein are not shown.

Noun used with modifier

peptide: Once activated caspases act as cysteine proteases, using a cysteine side chain for catalyzing peptide bond cleavage at aspartyl residues in their substrates.
backbone: Backbone cleavages of [ M H ] anions of peptides.
bond: At high collision energies, all protonated benzodiazepines eliminate a hydrogen atom by simple bond cleavage.

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