BISC 102 - Test 3 Flashcards
neurons
interconnected cells that communicate via electrical impulses
- gather/process info and take action
neuroglia
cells that provide physical support to neurons
central nervous system
brain and spinal cord
- takes sensory information and coordinates response
peripheral nervous system
carries information from CNS to the rest of the body
cell body
rounded/enlarged neuron part that contains nucleus et al
dendrites
short branched extensions that transmit information toward cell body
axon
conducts nerve impulses away from cell body
myelin sheath
composed of neuroglia, wrapped around axon to insulate and speed impulse conduction
sensory neuron
brings info from body to CNS
interneurons
connect neurons in brain/spine
- gather/process info and tell motor neurons what to do
motor neurons
take message from CNS to body cells
resting potential
charge difference between inside and outside of neuron not conducting a message
action potential
when conducting a message, brief change in membrane potential that spreads like a wave along membrane of nerve fiber
neurotransmitter
chemical sign that travels between neurons
synapse
junction where tip of the axon of a neuron communicates with dendrites of another
synaptic cleft
space between two neurons
synaptic terminals
tiny knobs that enlarge at tips to transmit info
nerves
bundles of axons encased in connective tissue
somatic nervous system
controls voluntary movements in skeletal muscles
- ride a bike
autonomic nervous system
controls involuntary smooth and cardiac muscle movement
- heart, organs
gray matter
neuron cell bodies and dendrites/synapses by which they communicate with other cells
white matter
myelinated axons that transmit throughout CNS
reflex
rapid involuntary response to stimulus
hindbrain
back of the brain
medulla oblongata
continuation of spinal cord that regulates breathing, blood pressure, heart rate (et al)
pons
area above medulla that connects forebrain to medulla and white matter/cerebellum
cerebellum
refine motor messages and coordinate muscle movements
midbrain
narrow region that connects fore and hind brains
forebrain
front of the brain
thalamus
relay station for sensory information
hypothalamus
maintain homeostasis, links endocrine and nervous systems
cerebrum
controls quality of personality, intelligence, learning, perception and emotion
DNA
phosphate sugar backbone with 4 nitrogenous bases
- adenine-thymine, cytosine-guanine
initiation
open up DNA helix for RNA to make copy of the DNA piece
elongation
RNA copies from one side of DNA
termination
closes DNA, RNA now has copy of the protein it needs
transcription
in nucleus > RNA goes between to communicate protein structure
translation
in cytoplasm on ribosome > synthesizes proteins
RNA
- replacement of thymine with uracil
point mutation
one base pair substitution
- only affects one amino acid and impairs protein function
- can be undetectable or fatal
- i.e. sickle cell disease
frameshifts
- insertions or deletions
- changes the rest of the coding sequence
- many result in non-functional proteins
mutations
- come about from damaged DNA [ultraviolet light], errors in replication, mutagens
- changes but not always harmful
- most contribute to diversity by evolution
mutagen
physical and chemical agents that cause mutations
viruses
- exhibit some living organism characteristics
- need host cell to reproduce but provide own genetic information
- tricks host cell into making it’s proteins
HIV
copies RNA to DNA using reverse transcriptase
- transmitted through blood and bodily fluids
retrovirus
genetic information stored as RNA
- HIV
AZT
drug that interrupts the HIV creation process
AIDS
caused by HIV
transgenic organisms
insert other genetic material from other organisms
- i.e. cystic fibrosis where a protein is missing, patient inhales proteins and now breathes ‘normally’
plasmid
small circle of double-strand DNA
restriction enzyme
- protein
- cuts double-strand DNA at specific base sequence
electrophoresis
separates DNA fragments by size
restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)
the process of getting DNA, running it on a gel, visualizing and analyzing the results
total genomic DNA
all of the genetic information
- requires a lot of biological information
polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
used when only a small amount of DNA is available
- uses copy machinery in DNA to produce copies of a sequence
profiling
uses most variable part of the genome to detect genetic differences between individuals
short tandem repeats (STR)
sequences of four to five nucleotides that are repeating/non-coding regions of DNA
CODIS
database linking all states with serial crimes and unsolved/repeat offender cases
embryonic stem cells
give life to all cells of the body > entire biological makeup
adult stem cells
more differentiated to produce limited subset of cell types
- i.e. replace skin from wear-and-tear
DNA probe
single strand sequence of nucleotides complementary to known region of DNA
gene therapy
shares similarities with creation of transgenic organisms
duplication of cells (why)
- replace cells [death/damage]
- growth
sister chromatids
2 duplicated copies of chromosomes that separate in cell division (from 1 cell = 2 identical cells)
mitosis
division of somatic cells
cancer
- cells divide uncontrollably
- not inherited = predisposition
- checks/balances are not functioning properly
- causes multiple mutations
tumor
abnormal mass of tissue
benign
- contained
- relatively harmless unless growth pushes in other things causing the to not function correctly
malignant
cancerous
metastasized
cancer has spread via lymphatic or circulatory system
- caused via metastasis
biological therapy
- build immune response to cancer
- form antibodies against cancer
- i.e. some leukemias
chemotherapy
uses chemicals to counter cancer
radiation
destroys all cells
- hopefully stops cancer cells from growing/multiplying but also kills some healthy cells
anti-angiogenesis
process of destroying blood vessels that cancer creates to feed itself
- starve the cancer
