â¢ CATALASE (noun). The noun CATALASE has 1 sense: 1. enzyme found in most plant and animal cells that functions as an oxidative catalyst; decomposes hydrogen peroxide into hydrogen and water. Familiarity information: CATALASE used as a noun is very rare.
This POTENTIAL generally measures about 70 millivolts (with the INSIDE of the membrane negative with respect to the outside). So, the RESTING MEMBRANE POTENTIAL is expressed as -70 mV, and the minus means that the inside is negative relative to (or compared to) the outside.
That difference gave rise to a natural proton gradient across the vent membranes that had the same polarity (outside positive) and a similar electrochemical potential (about 200 millivolts [mV] across the membrane) as modern cells have.