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quasisymmetry

noun

Etymology

From quasi- + symmetry.

  1. derived from συμμετρία
  2. borrowed from symmetria
  3. prefixed as quasisymmetry — “quasi + symmetry”

Definitions

  1. A mapping that preserves shape but allows size to change in a well-defined manner.

  2. A pattern in which many copies of a viral protein form a huge spherical coating, where…

    A pattern in which many copies of a viral protein form a huge spherical coating, where each subunit has an almost symmetrical arrangement with its neighbors.

    • So-called “quasisymmetry” occurs if all subunits are chemically identical but have two slightly different conformations so that slightly different contacts can be made.
    • Evolution blindly explores every possibility, and as more and more structures of viral capsids have been studied, numerous exceptions to classic quasisymmetry have been found.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for quasisymmetry. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA