Cells And Proteins Flashcards
What is centrifugation used for?
To separate materials in suspension according to their density.
How does paper and thin layer chromatography work?
Amino acids are spectated according to their characteristics of solubility.
How does affinity chromatography work?
Used for the separation of one specific protein from a mixture of proteins.
How does protein electrophoresis work?
What factors affect the rate at which any particular protein migrates through a gel?
It uses a current flowing through a buffer to superset proteins.
Size and charge.
What is the isoelectric point of a protein?
The pH at which it has an overall neutral charge.
How can proteins be separated using their isoelectric point?
At their isoelectric point they precipitate out of solution.
Why are antibody techniques used?
For the detection and identification of specific proteins.
How do immunoassay techniques work?
What does the reporter enzyme do?
They use monoclonal antibodies linked with reported enzymes to cause a colour change in the presence of a specific antigen.
What are monoclonal antibodies?
Antibodies that are identical and will bind to exactly the same feature of the antigen.
How are monoclonal antibodies produced?
From hybridomas.
How are hybridomas produced?
B lymphocytes fused with myeloma cells using polyethylene glycol (PEG).
What is the proteome?
The entire set of proteins that can be expressed from a genome and this is much larger than the number of genes.
Why is the proteome much larger than the genome?
Due to alternative RNA splicing and post-translational modification.
What are the four classes of amino acids?
- acidic- eg. COOH
- basic- eg. NH2
- polar- eg. OH
- hydrophobic- eg. Hydrocarbon
What determines the proteins structure?
The amino acid sequence.
What is the bond that links amino acids together called?
A peptide bond.
What stabilises secondary structure?
The hydrogen bonds along the backbone of the polypeptide strand.
What are the three types of secondary structure?
Alpha helix
Beta sheets
Turns
What is the tertiary structure?
The final folded shape of the polypeptide.
What are regions of secondary structure stabilised by?
Interactions between R groups of amino acids.
Four interactions between R groups?
Hydrophobic
Ionic bonds
Van der waals
Disulphide bridges
What is quaternary structure?
Where two or more polypeptide chains interact to form the protein.
What is a prosthetic group?
A non-protein group which is strongly bound to a polypeptide unit and is essential for the proteins function.
Three important roles of R groups?
Determine the structure of a protein.
Can allow the binding of ligands.
R groups at the surface of a protein determine itโs location within a cell.
What is the position of R groups determined by?
The primary structure.
Where do hydrophilic R groups predominate?
At the surface of a cytoplasmic protein.
What molecules can pass through the hydrophobic region of the phospholipid bilayer?
Non polar molecules.
What does the hydrophobic centre of the phospholipid bilayer acts as a barrier to?
Charged ions and most polar molecules.
What do integral proteins do?
Transporter proteins which penetrate the phospholipid bilayer.
What do peripheral proteins do?
Form weak bonds to the surface of the membrane.
What is a ligand?
Any substance that can bind to a protein.
Why are ligands important?
Bonding of a ligand causes a conformational change to the protein, causing a functional change to the protein.
What are nucleosomes composed of?
DNA tightly coiled around histones.
What are allosteric enzymes?
Enzymes in which their activity is regulated by altering their conformation.
What is a modulator?
A substance that binds to an allosteric site on the enzyme away from the active site.
What do positive modulators do?
Increase the affinity of the active site for its substrate, increasing enzyme activity.
What do negative modulators do?
Decrease the affinity of the active site for its substrate and decrease enzyme activity.
What is cooperativity?
When the binding of a ligand to one subunit of the protein increases the affinity of another subunit.
What can activate or inactivate a protein?
The addition or removal of a phosphate depending on how the conformation of the protein is changed.
What do kinases do?
Catalyse phosphorylation.
What do phosphatases do?
Catalyse dephosphorylation.
What is the sequence of events of a muscle contraction?
Myosin binds to actin.
The myosin head detaches from the actin and swings forward.
The myosin head rebinds to the actin.
The myosin head swings back, dragging the actin filament along, generating a muscle contraction.
The passage of molecules through channel proteins is throughโฆ
Facilitated diffusion.
Example of channel protein
Aquaporin
What are the two types of gated channel proteins?
Ligand-gated channel & voltage-gated channels.
Why do the gated channel proteins open and close?
The conformation of the protein is changed.
That passage of molecules through transporter proteins is throughโฆ
Facilitated diffusion.
Transporter proteins undergo..
Conformational change.
Example of transporter protein
Sodium potassium pump
How does signal transduction occur?
When an extra cellular signal molecule binds to its receptor causing an intracellular response.