Cells and Proteins - Proteins Flashcards
What is the proteome?
The entire set of proteins expressed by a genome
Why is the proteome is larger than the number of
genes (particularly in eukaryotes)?
More than one protein can be produced from a single gene as a result of alternative RNA splicing
Why are not all genes are expressed as proteins in a
particular cell type?
Genes that do not code for proteins are called non-coding RNA genes and include those that are transcribed to produce tRNA, rRNA, and RNA molecules that control the expression of other genes
The set of proteins expressed by a given cell type can vary over time and under different conditions. What factors affect this?
The metabolic activity of the cell, cellular stress, the response to signalling molecules, and diseased versus healthy cells.
Why is the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells too small an area to carry out all the vital functions carried out by membranes?
Eukaryotic cells have a system of internal
membranes, which increases the total area of
membrane.
Because of their size, eukaryotes have a
relatively small surface area to volume ratio
