Biology Flashcards
What is an organelle
A structure which Carrie sour a certain function in a cell
What is the function of a cell wall and where is it found
It supports, strengthens and maintains the shape of the cells and is found in bacterial, fungal and plant cells
What is the function of a mitochondria and where is it found
It is the site of aerobic respiration in the cell and is found in plant, animal and fungi cells
What is the function of chloroplasts and where can they be found
Site of photosynthesis and is found in some plant cells
What is the function of the cell membrane and where is it found
To control entry and exit of substances and is found in plant, bacterial, fungi and animal cells
What is the function of the sap vacuole and where is it found
Stores water, sugar and salts and can be found in plant cells
What is the function of the nucleus and where can it be found
Controls the cell’s activities and stores it’s genetic information. Can be found in plant, fungi and animal cells
What is the function of the ribosomes and where are they found
Site of protein synthesis and are found in plant, animal,fungi and bacterial cells
What is the function of plasmids and where are they found
They code for a few proteins and are only found in bacterial cells as they have no nucleus
What is the function of the cytoplasm and where is it found
Site of all biochemical reactions and found in animal, plant, bacterial and fungi cells.
What is unique about plant cell walls
They are made of cellulose compared to other cells which have membranes made of other materials.
What is the structure of a cell membrane and what does this mean
Constantly moving Phospholipid bilayer with proteins which allow some substances to pass through with ease, making it selectively permeable
What is passive transport
The movement of molecules or ions down a concentration gradient from an area of high to low concentration. No energy input is required. Diffusion is an example of passive transport
What is osmosis
The movement of molecules down a concentration gradient from a high to low concentration through a selectively permeable membrane. Doesn’t require energy input
What is the effect of osmosis on a typical animal cell
It will shrink or burst depending on the inner and outer concentrations. This happens as they have no cell wall to prevent them from bursting.
Burst if higher concentration outside
Shrink if higher concentration inside
What is the effect of osmosis on a typical plant cell
It will become turgid or plasmolysed as it has a cell wall to prevent it from bursting
Plasmolysed if higher concentration inside
Turgid if higher concentration
What is active transport
The movement of molecules or ions up a concentration gradient from a low to higher concentration. Energy input is required in the form of ATP. Cells which use active transport have many mitochondria due to this.
What is DNA
DNA is a molecule found in all living cells, in the nucleus in plant, animal and fungi cells but in ring-like structures called plasmids in bacterial cells.
What is the purpose of DNA
Contains genetic information our body needs to produce proteins, which then decide your physics, characteristics.
What is the structure of DNA
A doubled stranded helix, with two sugar-phosphate backbones that curve around each other and are held together by complementary base pairs.
What are the variables in DNA
Bases
The four bases are: adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine. (A,T,G,C)
They pair together as: A-T
G-C
What does the order of bases determine
Sequence of amino acids which then codes for a specific protein.
What is mRNA
A molecule that makes a complementary copy of a strand of DNA and then takes it too the ribosome as the DNA molecule is too large to leave the nucleus.
What happens in the ribosomes once the mRNA has arrived
The base sequence codes for amino acids - three bases codes for one amino acid - the sequence of these acids then codes for the particular protein, depending on how the chain of acids fold (polypeptide chain).
What functions do proteins have
Enzymes Structural Antibodies Hormones Receptors
What are antibodies and what do they do
They are a type of protein which provides your body defence against bacteria and viruses by binding to them so that white blood cells can recognise and destroy them
What are receptors and what do they do
They are a type of protein which allows cell to recognise specific chemical signals
What are hormones and what do they do
They are a type of protein which is used as a chemical messenger which is transported in the blood.
What do structural proteins do
They provide strength and support for cell structures
What are enzymes and they’re key characteristics
Biological catalysts Made in all living cells Speed up chemical reaction within a cell Proteins Unchanged in the process so can be reused
What is enzyme specificity
The fact that only one substrate works with a specific substrate.
Why are enzymes specific to one substrate
As they have complementary active sites - where enzymes bind to substrates - which are specific to only one another.
An example of an enzyme reaction is
HPCOW
Hydrogen peroxide —-catalase—-> oxygen + water
What are the two main types enzyme controlled reactions
Degradation- when one substance is broken down into two or more.
Synthesis- when two or more substances are bound together to form one substance
An example of a synthesis reaction is
Glucose-1-phosphate—-phosphorylase——> starch
An example of a degradation reaction is
HPCOW
What is optimum temperature and the effect of too Hugh temperatures on an enzyme.
Optimum temperature is the temperature at which an enzyme work the fastest.
Too high temperatures denatures the protein changing the shape of it meaning it is no longer complementary to its substrate
What is an enzymes optimum pH and what happens when it isn’t in its optimum range
An enzymes optimum pH is the pH at which it works the fastest.
If it isn’t in its pH range it will become denatured and will no longer be complementary to its substrate i.e. too high or too low pH.