Lability

Lability refers to something that is constantly undergoing change or is likely to undergo change.

Biochemistry

In reference to

. This can allow for the rapid synthesis and degradation of substrates in biological systems.

Biology

Cells

Labile cells refer to cells that constantly divide by entering and remaining in the cell cycle.^[1] These are contrasted with "stable cells" and "permanent cells".

An important example of this is in the epithelium of the cornea, where cells divide at the basal level and move upwards, and the topmost cells die and fall off.

Proteins

In medicine, the term "labile" means susceptible to alteration or destruction. For example, a heat-labile protein is one that can be changed or destroyed at high temperatures.

The opposite of labile in this context is "stable".^[2]

Soils

Compounds or materials that are easily transformed (often by biological activity) are termed labile. For example, labile phosphate is that fraction of soil phosphate that is readily transformed into soluble or plant-available phosphate.^[3] Labile organic matter is the soil organic matter that is easily decomposed by microorganisms.^[4]

Chemistry

The term is used to describe a transient

in the cis position of octahedral transition metal complexes.

See also

• Emotional lability

References

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