B1 Flashcards
What are eukaryotic cells?
- Contain the genetic information in the nucleus
- Complex cells and are all plant and animal cells.
- 10-100 micrometres
What are prokaryotic cells?
- No nucleus
- Genetic information floats in the cytoplasm.
- Single-celled organisms
- 1-10 micrometres
What sub-cellular structures do all eukaryotic cells have?
- Cytoplasm - jelly-like substance where all chemical reactions occur.
- Mitochondria - where cellular respiration occurs. Contains the enzymes for it.
- Cell membrane - has a selective barrier which controls what enters and leaves the cell.
What do plant cells have that animal cells don’t?
- Chloroplast - contain green chlorophyll that help with photosynthesis. (Green parts of plant).
- Cell wall - surrounds cell, made of cellulose to support the cell.
- Vacuole - contains cell sap (keeps the cell rigid and plant upright)
What sub-cellular structures do all prokaryotic cells have?
- Cell wall
- Genetic material floating freely
- Cell membrane
- Pili - hairlike structures that help cells attach to structures.
- Plasmid - circular loops of DNA that hold extra genes and help in times of stress, where antibiotic resistant bacteria are found.
Total magnification equation and magnification equation
total magnification = eyepiece lens magnification x objective lens magnification
magnification = image size/real size
Why and how are cells stained before observed?
- Cells are usually colourless, they are stained to make it easy to observe
- Place cell on a glass slide, add some stain, place the coverslip on top and clear bubbles.
What is an electron microscope?
- They use electrons as opposed to light to produce an image.
- They give a greater resolution (smallest distance between two points that can be seen as separate entities) than light microscopes
What are the two types of electron microscope?
TEM: - Produce the most magnified image
- Beam of electrons pass through a thin slice of sample
SEM: - 3D image
- Beam of electrons sent across the surface of a specimen, reflected electrons produce an image.
Advantages and disadvantages of light microscopes.
- Cheap and easy to use
- Small
- Simple to prepare a sample
- Specimens can living or dead
- Resolution up to 2 X 10^-7 m
Advantages and disadvantages of electrons microscopes.
- Expensive to buy and use
- Large and difficult to move
- Sample preparation is complex
- False colour added as images are black and white
- Dead specimens
- Resolution is 1 X 10^-10 m
What is DNA?
Biological polymer with double helixical structure made from nucleotide monomers. They contain all the genetic material and instructions needed for new organism formation.
What is the structure of DNA?
- A long molecule of coiled up DNA is called a chromosome
- 46 chromosomes in humans
- A short section of DNA is called a gene.
- Made up of 2 strands joined together by bases.
What small units are DNA made up of?
- DNA is made up of nucleotides which are joined up to make it a polymer of nucleotide monomers
DNA nucleotide has a phosphate, sugar and base - 4 types of nucleotide bases, Adenine, Thymine, Cytosine and Guanine.
A-T C-G
How is a copy of DNA made? (Transcription)
- DNA cannot leave the cell because it’s too big.
- A copy of DNA (mRNA) is made, it is a single strand of DNA.
- The part of the gene that is used to code for the protein is located and the DNA unzips around that area, one of strands acts as a template. Complementary bases attach to the strand being copied, (e.g C-G, no Thymine so Adenine attaches to Uracil on the mRNA).
- The mRNA detaches itself and the DNA zips back up.
- mRNA moves out of the nucleus and travels to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm.
How is protein made (translation)?
- Proteins are made of amino acids, each amino acid is determined by the order of nucleotide bases.
- The ribosome reads the mRNA is order of three bases (called base triplets or codons) as each codon codes for a different amino acid.
- The ribosome reads the triplet code and adds more and more amino acids which join together to make a protein.
What are enzymes and their basic function?
- Enzymes are made of proteins and are biological catalysts, reducing the need for high temperatures as this can speed up the reactions of unwanted ones.
- Enzymes are not used up or changed during a chemical reaction.
- E.g. used in digestion to break down molecules into smaller ones.