Bio - Mid semester test Flashcards
Features common for all lifeforms
- comprised of a common set of elements
- comprised of cells
- contain genetic information
- grow and change
- respond to environment
- use molecules to make new molecules
- extract energy and use it
- exist in populations and can evolve
What evidence does DNA provide to explain evolution?
All organisms share the same genetic code, chemical composition, and cellular structure
2 hypotheses for the forces that created life on Earth
- Life formed spontaneously on early Earth (Miller-Urey experiments)
- Extra terrestrial origin - life formed on another planet or comet (evidence from meteorite)
Miller-Urey Experiment
Recreated early Earth environment, found:
- bases in DNA and RNA
- all 20 amino acids
- a range of 3- and 6- carbon sugar
- fatty acids
- vitamin B6, NAD, organic acids
Extra Terrestrial origin
1969 meteorite contained:
- amino acids
- DNA bases
- sugars
- fatty acids
- proteins
Stromatolites
Layers of limestone that trap water and other debris, locking it away. Fossilised cyanobacteria has been found, demonstrating evidence of early life.
Properties of water that are critical to the chemistry of life
Hydrogen bonding allows for:
- high specific heat
- high boiling point
- high melting point
- high heat of vaporisation (sweating)
- cohesion (hydrogen bonding between water molecules - allows water to go from tree roots to leaves)
- adhesion (water’s attraction to other molecules - allows for surface tension)
What are the major elements of life?
Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen
Why was water’s high specific heat crucial for early life to form?
By having a high heat capacity, water can absorb a lot of energy before it heats up. This allowed for the ocean to be energy dense, allowing organisms to thrive and reactions to occur. There was a greater chance of amino acids to collide and form more complex structures.
Pyrimidines
Single ring - Cytosine, Uracil, Thymine
Purines
Double ring - Adenine, Guanine
Microbodies structure
- single membrane bound
- neutral pH
- contain oxidative enzymes (generated by ribosomes in cytoplasm) that generate hydrogen peroxide and enzyme catalase to break down the excess H2O2
Microbodies function
NOT PART OF ENDOMEMBRANE SYSTEM
Another recycling bin in animal and plant cells
Break down amino acids (peroxisomes) and fatty acids (glyoxysomes)
Type 1 topisomerase
- prokaryotic DNA replication
- DNA ahead of the fork of replication get extremely coiled and highly strained
- to relieve this, Type 1 topisomerase creates a nick in the DNA to allow the other strand to pass through, and ligates the DNA back together
What enzyme relieves highly strained and extremely coiled DNA in prokaryotes by creating a nick in the DNA and allowing a strand to pass through before ligating the DNA back together?
Type 1 topisomerase
ORC (Origin Recognition Complex)
Eukaryotic DNA Replication
Recognises and binds to origin of replication sites, then recuits Helicase to unwind the DNA
What binds to the origin of replication site and then recruits helicase to unwind the DNA in eukaryotic DNA replication?
ORC (Origin recognition complex)
What does PSII do? (4 steps)
- absorbs photons and becomes excited
- e- passes from one pigment to another in the reaction center until reaching reaction center.
- e- transfered to P860(a pair of chlorophyll a molecules)
- e- then passed on to primary e- acceptor via the process of PHOTOACT
- Splits H2O into H and O to replace electrons from P680. H+ enters thylakoid, O becomes O2 and is released into atmosphere.
What does PSI do? (5 steps - remember there is more after NADPH is made)
- Electrons are transported to PSI via electron acceptor molecules
- The reduced P700 complex absorbs light and relays an excited electron to PSI’s unique electron acceptor (ferredoxin)
- Above Ferredoxin, FNR (Ferredoxin-NADP plus reductase) synthesises NADPH
- The transfer of electrons through electron transport chain releases energy that is used to pump protons into the thylakoid space, creating a proton gradient
- ATP synthase utilises this proton gradient to attach a third phosphate group to an ADP and produce ATP via chemiomosis
What are the 3 stages of the calvin cycle?
- Carbon fixation
- Reduction of 3-PGA
- Regeneration of RuBP
What happens in the first stage of the calvin cycle? 1. Carbon Fixation
Rubisco fixes CO2 from the atmosphere to regenerate RuBP(5C compound). It is unstable to it forms 2 3PG molecules.
What happens in the second stage of the calvin cycle? 2. Reduction of 3-PG
12ATP phosphorylate the 3-PG molecule and 12NADPH molecules reduce 3PG to form 12 G3P molecules.
2 G3P molecules move out of the cycle to make hexose while the others (10) continue to regenerate RuBP.
Golgi body structure
Flattened membranes stacks: golgi stacks made from cisternae
Polar structure: one end is the cis face (receives vesicles), the other end is the trans face (excretes vesicles)
Golgi body function
Proteins, glycoproteins, and other molecules formed in the ER are transported to the Golgi body in vesicles to be biologically modified (e.g. sugars added or trimmed). Polysaccharides can also be formed here.
Many molecules such as hormones and digestive enzymes exit the golgi body in secretory vesicles and exit the cell via exocytosis. Other molecules are packaged into vesicles such as lysosomes to remain in the cell