Cell Biology Flashcards
What is cell theory?
All living organisms are composed of cells
Cells are the smallest units of life
Cells only come from pre-existing cells by cell division
What do all cells have?
Cytoplasm
Cell membrane
DNA
Ribosomes
What are the exceptions of cell theory?(Explain)
Striated Skeletal Muscles Fibres= very long cells with many nuclei
Aseptate fungi= each hyphae is undivided and has many nuclei
Giant algae= grow very large but are unicellular
Define magnification
Ability to make an object larger
Define resolution
Ability to distinguish separate parts of an object/two objects from each other
Compare an EM microscope vs. a Light microscope
EM has higher resolution, higher magnification
BUT, expensive, difficult sample preparation, cannot image living organisms
For each of the following state whether they are prokaryotes or eukaryotes and state whether they are unicellular or multicellular:
Bacteria
Protoctista
Fungi
Animals
Plants
Bacteria- Prok, uni
Protoctista- Euk , mostly uni
Fungi- Euk, multi except for yeast
Animals- Euk, multi
Plants-Euk, multi
Give two features of a prokaryotic cells
Unicellular
No compartmentalisation
What does compartmentalisation mean?
No membrane- bound organelles
Draw a prokaryotic cell and label it fully.
Must have:
70S ribosomes
cell/plasma membrane
cell wall
DNA/genetic material
pili
cytoplasm
flagellum
What is the genetic material of a prokaryotic cell?
1 circular naked chromosome in Nucleoid
What are pili used for?
Adhesion and conjugation
Draw an animal cell and label it fully.
Rough ER
Mitochondrion
Nucleus
Nuclear envelope
Golgi apparatus
vesicle
cytoplasm
80s ribosomes
cell membrane
nuclear pore
What are the differences between plant and animal cells?
Plants have chloroplasts animals do not
Plants have cell walls animals do not
Plants have a large and permanent vacuole animals have small and temporary
Most plants do not have centrioles animal cells do
Draw a mitochondria and a chloroplast
Double membrane!
Distinguish between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
- Naked DNA; DNA associated with histone proteins
- Circular DNA, linear DNA
- DNA in nucleoid; DNA in nucleus
- 1 chromosome; 2 or more different
- no membrane bound organelles; yes
- 70S ribosomes; 80S ribosomes
- pili; no pili
- plasmids; no plasmids
- no mitochondria; mitochondria
- cell wall; only in plants and fungi
Lable the following and describe how it carries out the functions of life.
Food vacuole- nutrition
Contractile Vacuole- homeostasis(fills up with H20 and expels it throught the membrane)
Nucleus- reproduction
Cytoplasm- metabolism
cilia- Response and movement towards the food
Cell Membrane- Excretion(controls exit of molecules)
What are the levels of organisation?
cell- tissue-organ-organ system-organism
Why are there emergent properties at each level?
Because there are interactions of component parts
Outline the differention of cells in a multicellular organism.
All cells in the body have the same DNA but each cell is differnt in the sense that different genes are expressed. They are expressed by transcription and translation and these carry out different functions. A group of specialised cells is called a tissue.
Describe the division of labour
Specialised cells carry out different functions an dhave different structure which is adapted to their function. THis happens because a different set of genes is expressed through transcription and translation
Describe the functions of life in a chlamydomonas cell
- Flagella- response towards food
- Contractile vacuole- homeostasis
- cell membrane- excretion
- Stigma(eye spot)- response detects light
- chloroplast- nutrition site of photosynthesis
- vacuole- nutrition
- cytoplasm- metabolism
- nucleus- reproduction
- pyrenoid starch grain- nutrition food storage
How do you go from cm to mm?
x10
How do you from mm to micrometer?
x1000
How do you go from micrometer to nanometer?
x1000
What are stem cells?
Unspecialised cells that dicide continuously by mitosis and can give rise to many differentiated cells
Describe how Stargardt’s disease can be treated by use of stem cells
- It is a progressive loss of vision due to degenaration of retinal cells(genetic disease)
- Embryonic stem cells are harvested and differentiated in the lab into retinal cells.
- Retinal cells injected into patient’s eye where they are established
- Vision restored
Describe how leukemia can be treated by stem cells
- Cancer of bone marrow
- HSCs (hematopoetic stem cells) are harvested from donor or patient
- chemotherapy to destroy cancer cells
- HSCs transplanted back to patient–> divide and differentiate to form WBCs
What are sources of stem cells?
Embryonic stem cells
Adult tissues
Umbilical cord
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the use of adult tissues compared to embryonic stem cells.
Advantages:
- consent
- less likely to form a tumor
- If own, less chance of rejection
- less ethical issues/individual not killed
Disadvantages:
- Difficult to obtain
- Less potential
- Some tissues do not have stem cells
What can surface area to volume ratio do ?
Limit cell size
Explain how SA/Volume influences cell sizes
As cell increases in size, the ratio of surface area/volume decreases.
Cells divide when they reach a certain size
The rate at which materials are produced is reliant on volume
The rate at which materials enter or leave a cell depends on the surface area
What is spontaneous generation?
Fomation of organsims from non living matter
DISPROVED BY PASTEUR
What is genetic code?
It is almost entirely a universal common fundamental biochemistry
How did the origin of the first cell happen?
- Synthesis of simple organic molecules from inorganic- Miller and Urey experiment
- Assembly of simple organic molecules into polymers- sea vents
- Self replicating molecule that can store genetic information- RNA
- Enclosure of the self- replicating molecule in a membrane- spontaneous assembly of lipids into a bilayer when placed in H2O
What does endosymbotic theory ecplain?
The origin of mitochondria and chlropolsats which were once free living prokaryote
Describe the endosymbiotic theory
An anaerobic prokaryote englufed an aerobic prokaryote. It was engulfed but not digested becasue the relationship was mutually beneficial and so it became the mitochondrion.
What is the evidence that supports the endosymbiotic theory?
- 70S ribosomes
- Circular, Naked DNA
- Double membrane- as a result of engulfement
- Mitochondria divide by binary fission
- Similar size to prokaryotes
What is the function of the membrane?
It controls the flow of substances in an dout of a cell and separates the cell from surroundings.
What is the membrane made out of?
Lipids(mainly phopholipids; animals also cholestrol)
Proteins
Draw a phospholipid and label it.
What does amphipathic mean?
It has both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts
Which parts are hydrophobic and hydrophilic in a phospholipid and what are their other names?
Hydrophilic- Phosphate head
Hydrophobic- Hydrocarbon tail
Hydrophilic- polar
Hydrophobic- non-polar
What makes the membrane very stable?
Attraction between heads- H20 and between the tails
Draw a phopholipid with a cholestrol
What is the role of the cholestrol?
- Affects membrane fluidity
- Reduces permeability to some solutes
- Helps membranes to curve
List all the proteins found in the membrane
Integral- entirely integral/transmembrane
Peripheral
Channels
Glycoproteins
What can determine the localisation of proteins?
The amino acid sequence. Non polar AA casue proteisn to become embedded. Polar AA cause proteins to be peripheral a channel to be formed for hydrophilic substance to diffuse and an integral to protrude.
What are functions of membrane proteins?
- Receptors (hormones or neurotransmitters)
- Immobilized enzymes
- Channels
- Pumps
- Electron transport
- Cell to cell adhesion
- Cell to cell communication
Draw the Singer Nicolson Fluid Mosaic Model. FULLY LABELLED AND INDICATION OF HYDROPHOBIC AN DHYDROPHILIC PARTS IS NEEDED.
LOOK INTO NOTES FOR FURTHER DETAIL
What is the width of the membrane?
10nm
Draw the Davson- Danielli Model
Evidence of the Davson-Danielli Model.
Organic solvents penetrate facter than H2O–> non polar regions
Chemical analysis–> proteins and lipids
Amount of phopholipids in RBCs—> phopholipid bilayer
EM–> 2 dark lines separated by a lighter band (they thouhgt dark lines are the proteins light band the bilayer)
What did the singer nicolson model convey?
Proteins occupy a varitey of postions
Components move
What was evidence for the singer- nicolson model?
- Freeze fracture EM: proteins inside the bilayer
- Parts of the surface of membrane proteins are hydrophobic
- fusion of cells with labelled proteisn(different colour) therefore colours mixed–> proteins move.
What are organelles?
Discrete structures within cells that carry a specific function.
How do prokaryortic cells divide?
By binary fission
Which structures of double membranes?
Nucleus
Mitochondria
Chloroplasts
What do cell walls do?
Protects teh cell from bursting, maintains the cell’s shape
What does the cytoplasm do?
Site of cehmical reactions
What does the nucleoid do?
Region containing the bacterial DNA, which is a single, naked circular chrmosome
What do ribosomes do?
Site of protein syntehesis
What are plasmids?
Small circcular DNA in the cytoplasm
What does the flagellum do?
Rotates to move the cell
What does the rough endoplasmic reticulum do?
Synthesises proteins that will go to the cell membrane and will be secreted from the cell.
What does the Golgi apparatus do?
Proteins from teh RER arrive to the Golgi body in vesicles and are modified here. The proteins are then packaged into vesicles and are transported to teh membrane.
What do vesicles do?
Transport molecules inside the cell