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Biology Flashcards

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MCAT flashcards
1
Q

4 fundamental tenets of cell theory

A
  1. All living things are composed of cells
  2. All cells arise from preexisting cells
  3. Cells are the basic unit of life
  4. All cells contain DNA, which is passed from parent to daughter cell
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2
Q

where is rRNA synthesized?

A

nucleolus

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3
Q

where does the electron transport chain occur?

A

mitochondrial inner membrane

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4
Q

cytoplasmic/extranuclear inheritance

A

transmission of genetic material independent of the nucleus

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5
Q

endosomes

A

organelles that transport, package, and sort cell material traveling to and from the cell membrane

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6
Q

what does the rough ER do?

A

synthesize proteins destined for secretion

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7
Q

what does the smooth ER do?

A

synthesize lipids for secretion or for the cell membrane and detoxify certain drugs and poisons

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8
Q

proteins synthesized in the cytoplasm are destined for where?

A

to remain within the cell

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9
Q

peroxisomes

A

contain hydrogen peroxide for the degradation of long chain fatty acids by B oxidation, aid in the synthesis of phospholipids, and contain some of the enzymes needed for the HMP shunt

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10
Q

microfilaments

A

component of the cytoskeleton which is made of actin; provide protection for the cell and initiate the formation of the cleavage furrow during cytokinesis

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11
Q

microtubules

A

component of the cytoskeleton which is made of tubulin

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12
Q

which main component of the cytoskeleton do kinesin and dynein primarily ride along?

A

microtubules

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13
Q

flagella and cilia are examples of what kind of cytoskeleton component?

A

microtubules

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14
Q

how are cilia and flagella organized in eukaryotes?

A

9+2 structure; 9 pairs of microtubules arranged in a circle surrounding 2 microtubules in the center

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15
Q

which component of the cytoskeleton is involved during mitosis?

A

microtubules; microtubules originating from the centrioles attach to chromosomes at their kinetochores and pull the sister chromatids apart

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16
Q

intermediate filaments

A

component of the cytoskeleton which is made of keratin, desmin, vimentin, and lamins; involved in cell-cell adhesions, anchoring other organelles, and maintaining the cytoskeleton’s integrity

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17
Q

4 types of tissue

A

epithelial, connective, muscle, nervous

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18
Q

epithelial tissue

A

cover the body and line the cavities; anchored to a basement membrane; typically one side of the tissue is open to a lumen (outside world) and the other to blood vessels or other cells (inside world)

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19
Q

what type of tissue contributes to the parenchyma (functional parts) of an organ

A

epithelial tissue

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20
Q

examples of connective tissue

A

bone, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, adipose tissue, blood

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21
Q

connective tissue

A

supports the body and provides a framework for epithelial cells; contribute to the structure of the body

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22
Q

structure of centrioles in eukaryotes?

A

9 triplets of microtubules arranged in a circle with a hollow center

23
Q

spherical bacteria

A

cocci

24
Q

rod-shaped bacteria

A

bacilli

25
Q

spiral-shaped bacteria

A

spirilli

26
Q

obligate aerobe

A

bacteria requiring oxygen for metabolism

27
Q

obligate anaerobe

A

bacteria that cannot survive in environments with oxygen

28
Q

facultative anaerobes

A

bacteria that can use oxygen for metabolism or other means for metabolism

29
Q

aerotolerant anaerobes

A

bacteria that cannot use oxygen for metabolism but that are not harmed by being in an environment with oxygen

30
Q

which are more resistant to antibiotics - gram negative or gram positive bacteria?

A

gram negative

31
Q

which type of bacteria have thicker cell walls with peptidoglycan?

A

gram positive

32
Q

what color do gram positive bacteria stain?

A

purple

33
Q

what color do gram negative bacteria stain?

A

pink/red

34
Q

chemotaxis

A

ability of a cell to detect chemical stimuli and move toward or away from them

35
Q

structure of prokaryotic flagella

A

basal body attaches the flagella to the cytoplasm and rotates like a motor, causing the hook to exert torque on the filament, which then causes the filament to spin and propel the prokaryote forward

36
Q

what is the structure of prokaryotic DNA?

A

circular

37
Q

plasmids

A

circular structures in prokaryotes containing DNA acquired from external sources that are not necessary for the survival of the prokaryote, but may confer certain advantages such as antibiotic resistance

38
Q

how are Archaea similar to Eukarya?

A

both start translation with methionine, have their DNA associated with histones, and share similar RNA polymerases

39
Q

3 types of genetic recombination in prokaryotes

A

transformation, conjugation, transduction

40
Q

transformation

A

integration of foreign genetic material into the host genome; typically occurs when other bacteria lyse and spill their contents into the vicinity of a bacterium capable of transofrmation

41
Q

conjugation

A

bacterial form of mating/sexual reproduction where the male bacteria containing a sex factor forms a pili bridge to the female bacteria, connecting them; the male bacteria with the sex factor copies its sex factor and that copy makes it way across the pili bridge into the female bacteria, who now also has a sex factor; the female bacteria with the sex factor now can be viewed as a male bacteria and donate its sex factor to a female bacteria by way of making a pili bridge; this is significant because sex factors could contain info on antibiotic resistance and by passing by conjugation, this information could be added to every bacteria within a bacterial colony very quickly

42
Q

transduction

A

occurs when a bacteriophage infecting a bacteria picks up some of that bacteria’s genetic material and transfers it to another bacteria when infecting it with its own virulent information

43
Q

transposons

A

genetic elements capable of inserting and removing themselves from the genome; seen in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes and can disturb genes if inserted/removed from a coding region

44
Q

stages in a bacterial colony’s life cycle

A

lag phase, exponential phase, stationary phase, death phase

45
Q

positive sense viruses

A

virus containing RNA; once inside the host cell, the RNA can be translated by host cell ribosomes

46
Q

negative sense viruses

A

virus containing RNA; once inside the host cell, the virus uses its RNA replicase enzyme to convert the RNA strand into one that can be read and translated by host cell ribosomes

47
Q

retroviruses

A

virus containing RNA; once inside the host cell, the virus uses its reverse transcriptase enzyme to convert the RNA strand into DNA so it can be incorporated into the host cell’s DNA

48
Q

lytic cycle

A

stage of the viral life cycle where the bacteriophage maximizes the use of the cell’s machinery with little regard for the survival of the host cell; eventually the cell lyses when full of copies of the virus

49
Q

lysogenic cycle

A

stage of the viral life cycle where the viral genetic material integrates into the host genome as a prophage and is replicated as the cell replicates its DNA; the virus can leave the lysogenic cycle and enter the lytic cycle when exposed to certain environmental factors

50
Q

prions

A

infectious proteins that lead to the misfolding of other proteins (normally an a helix is converted to a B pleated sheet) so that protein aggregates form that cannot be dissolved

51
Q

viroids

A

small pathogens consisting of a very short, circular, single-stranded RNA that infect plants

52
Q

episomes

A

plasmids that can incorporate into the bacteria’s genome

53
Q

what types of nucleic acid could form the genome of a virus?

A

single-stranded RNA, double-stranded RNA, single-stranded DNA, or double-stranded DNA

MCAT Prep (2 decks)

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