4-2 Vocab Flashcards
Glycolipids
A lipid with one or more covalently attached carbohydrates
Second Messengers
A small, nonprotein, water-soluble molecule or ion, such as a calcium ion or cyclic AMP, that relays a signal to a cell’s interior in response to a signaling molecule bound by a signal receptor protein
Anaphase
The fourth stage of mitosis, in which the chromatids of each chromosome have separated and the daughter chromosomes are moving to the poles of the cell
Metastasis
The spread of cancer cells to locations distant from their original site
Origin of Replication
Site where the replication of a DNA molecule begins, consisting of a specific sequence of nucleotides
Growth Factor
(1) A protein that must be present in the extracellular environment (culture medium or animal body) for the growth and normal development of certain types of cells. (2) A local regulator that acts on nearby cells to stimulate cell proliferation and differentiation
Transformation
(1) The process by which a cell in culture acquires the ability to divide indefinitely, similar to the division of cancer cells. (2) A change in genotype and phenotype due to the assimilation of external DNA by a cell. When the external DNA is from a member of a different species, transformation results in horizontal gene transfer
Cleavage Furrow
The first sign of cleavage in an animal cell; a shallow groove around the cell in the cell surface near the old metaphase plate
Interphase
The period in the cell cycle when the cell is not dividing. During interphase, cellular metabolic activity is high, chromosomes and organelles are duplicated, and cell size may increase. Interphase often accounts for about 90% of the cell cycle
Chromosomes
A cellular structure consisting of one DNA molecule and associated protein molecules. (In some contexts, such as genome sequencing, the term may refer to the DNA alone.) A eukaryotic cell typically has multiple, linear chromosomes, which are located in the nucleus. A prokaryotic cell often has a single, circular chromosome, which is found in the nucleoid, a region that is not enclosed by a membrane
Cell Cycle Control System
A cyclically operating set of molecules in the eukaryotic cell that both triggers and coordinates key events in the cell cycle
Kinetochore
A structure of proteins attached to the centromere that links each sister chromatid to the mitotic spindle
Somatic Cells
Any cell in a multicellular organism except a sperm or egg or their precursors
Mitosis
A process of nuclear division in eukaryotic cells conventionally divided into five stages: prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase. Mitosis conserves chromosome number by allocating replicated chromosomes equally to each of the daughter nuclei
Cell Cycle
An ordered sequence of events in the life of a cell, from its origin in the division of a parent cell until its own division into two. The eukaryotic cell cycle is composed of interphase (including G1, S, and G2 phases) and M phase (including mitosis and cytokinesis)
