1 Flashcards
*An active area of research that is fundamental to all biological sciences
* study of the structure and function of organisms and biological processes at the level of cells, and the macromolecules that define them
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
how MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL in Pure vs applied sciences?
In pure sciences, molecular biology focuses on fundamental mechanisms of cellular processes, aiming to deepen our understanding of life at the molecular level.
In applied sciences, these principles are utilized to develop technologies, treatments, and solutions in fields like medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology, ultimately translating basic research into practical applications
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL applications in?
medicine, agriculture, forensics etc
- Anchored on highly conserved fundamental properties of cells
- Also on diversity of present day cells
CELLS AS EXPERIMENTAL MODELS
CELLS AS EXPERIMENTAL MODELS such as
- Escherichia coli
- Yeast
- Dictyostelium discoideum
- Caenorhabditis elegans
- Drosophila melanogaster
- Arabidopsis thaliana
- Zebra fish
- Xenopus laevis
- Transgenic mice
- most thoroughly studied bacteria because of its comparative simplicity
and ease with w/c it can be propagated - Many studies about the nature of gene expression elucidated
- Genome with circular ds DNA ( sometimes with extrachrom DNA)
- E. Coli genome= ~4.6m base pairs and 4000 genes (1997)
Escherichia coli
-Crucial in the study of eukaryote systems ( simplest)
-Saccharomyces cerevisiae ( most studied)
-Amenable to genetic manipulation
-S. Cerevisiae genome= 12 m bp and 6000 genes
-Genome arranged as 16 linear chromosomes
Yeast
- simple unicellular eukaryote
- a cellular slime mold w/c feeds on bacteria and yeasts
- easily manipulated using genetic techniques
- since mobile, it is ideal for studying molecular mechanisms for animal cell
movements - w/ abundant food, cells aggregate into worm-like
- structures (slugs) that act as a single unit (100,000 cells)
- straddles the border between unicellular and multicelluar organisms
Dictyostelium discoideum
- ideal model for animal development and cell differentiation
- genome size= 100m bp and 19,000 genes
- 3x that of yeast and ½ that of humans
- simpler and more manageable than those of other animals
- also amenable to genetic manipulation
Caenorhabditis elegans
- also a crucial model for developmental biology & genetics
- genome size-= 14,000 genes
- Easily bred and has short life cycle ( 2 weeks)
- Became the bases for fundamental concepts of genetics such as the
relationships between genes and chromosomes
Drosophila melanogaster
- a small flowering plant w/c is
simple and easy to grow and
handle in genetic experiments - genome size= 120m bp and
15,000 genes - ideal organism for the study of
plant molecular biology - had been successfully used in the
identification of genes involved in
plant development ( i.e. devt of
flowers)
Arabidopsis thaliana
-model test organism for vertebrate development
-easily maintained in the lab, reproduces rapidly
-w/ transparent embryos that develop outside of the
mother
– bridges the gap between humans and C. elegans
and Drosophila w/c have simple structures
Zebra fish
- important model for early vertebrate development
- very large eggs ( 1mm diameter) that develop outside of mother
- Eggs can be obtained in large nos making possible various
biochemical analyses
Xenopus laevis
- the mouse is most suitable for genetic analysis among mammals
- mouse genetics fraught with difficulties
- transgenic mice with specific mutant genes introduced into the
mouse germ line - some similarity in mouse and human genomes
Transgenic mice
