biology Flashcards
mock revison
what is cellulose cell wall structure and function
made of cellulose fibres, is on the outside of plasma membrane.
provides strength, support, cell shape, and is also permeable
what is the structure and function of lysosomes
small bags formed from the Golgi apparatus, contain hydrolytic enzymes phagocytic cells neutrophils and macrophages.
digest old cell organelles and foreign matter
what is chloroplasts structure and function
large organelles, surrounded by double membrane in which contains stacks of flattened membrane sacks, only found in plant cells, contain loops of DNA and starch grains.
chloroplasts are the site of photosynthesis
what are the basics of prokaryotic cells
- divide by binary fission
- no membrane bound organelles
- share some features with eukaryotic cells
what are reducing sugars properties
unlike non reducing sugars, reducing sugars can donate electrons making the sugars a reducing agent
CAN be identified with Benedict’s test
what are non-reducing sugars properties
cannot donate electrons, CANNOT be identified with the Benedict’s test
what are prosthetic groups
cofactors which are permanently bound to the enzyme as the enzyme cannot work without it
carbohydrate: sugars
-monosaccharides, the basis for sugars
-function as source of energy
-glucose is a sugar and a reactant in respiration
-polysaccharides, chains of monomers, make good energy stores
properties of water
- liquid
- doesn’t become more dense when it becomes colder
- ideal living condition for organisms
- good solvent
- high specific heat capacity
- high latent heat of vaporisation
what is cholesterol function
stabilise reactions between phospholipids,
prevent membrane from becoming too fluid or too flexible
what is amylopectins structure and function
highly branched, stored in plant starch granules.
stores glucose for later use as an energy store
what is a cell plasma membranes structure and function
formed of phospholipids which heads are hydrophilic and face the outside and hydrophobic tails which point inwards forming a barrier, its main function is to protect the cell from its surroundings
what are ester bonds
form between glycerol and fatty acid chains, formed through condensation reactions, broken by hydrolysis
amino acids structure
N-C-C body
carboxylic group and amine group
‘R’ group which represents amino acids
what are the basics of lipids
-insoluble in water
-soluble in organic solvents (such as chloroform)
-comprised of fatty acids and glycerol (or other alcohol backbones)
-maintain cell membranes stability and fluidity
chemical elements in biological molecules
hydrogen
oxygen
nitrogen
phosphorus
sulfur
what are peptide bonds
-bond formed between two amino acids
-covalent bond
-condensation reaction
what are Polysaccharides
-macro molecule
-formed by many monosaccharides joined by glycosidic bonds (in condensation reactions)
-optimized for either storage or quick usage
what are exons and introns
Introns are the non coding stretches of DNA while exons are the coding regions of the DNA
what are pyrimidines
-cytosine and thymine
-one carbon nitrogen ring bases
what are purines
-adenine, guanine and uracil (in RNA)
-two carbon nitrogen ring bases
what is semi conservative replication of DNA
helps ensure genetic continuity between cells
what is gene transcription
when mRNA takes a transcription (opposite copy(because of base pairing)) and moves out side of the nucleus to the ribosomes
what was the Meselson and Stahl experiment
demonstrated the semi conservative replication of DNA,
said each daughter DNA molecule contains one new daughter sub unit and one sub unit conserved from the parental DNA molecule
what are polypeptides
a polymer formed of several amino acids joined with peptide bonds, basis of proteins,proteins may contain one or many polypeptide chains
what are metabolic pathways
a set of interactions between genes and their products which results in the formation or change of products in the system
factors affecting enzyme activity
increasing or decreasing the temperature or pH outside of the optimum range can effect chemical bonds within the active site decreasing the rate of reaction, extreme changes can even effect the protein structure of the enzymes
what is active transport
the movement of molecules across a biological membrane with the use of ATP or carrier proteins, against the concentration gradient
what are semi permeable membranes
a membrane which only allows certain materials to pass through, different from permeable membranes which allow everything to pass through
what’s a cell plasma membrane
formed from phospholipids with hydrophobic tails and hydrophilic heads, has cholesterol to keep the plasma membranes fluidity stable, also contains proteins to help molecules to travel in and out of the membrane
what is water potential
-measure of the free energy of water molecules and the tendency for water to move
-measured in kilopascals
what is osmosis
the net movement of water from a high concentration to low concentration through a partially permeable membrane
what’s turgidness
the cellular phenomenon of cell swelling because of the absorption of high fluid content, cells take up water and it gets stored in vacuoles resulting in swelling of cells