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BMB 401 > Ch. 1 > Flashcards

Ch. 1 Flashcards

1
Q

amino acid

A

nitrogen-containing molecules (substituted carboxylic acids) that function as the building blocks for proteins and precursors to numerous nitrogen-containing biomolecules

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2
Q

amphipathic

A

polar and nonpolar chemical properties contained within the same molecule

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3
Q

amylose

A

an a(1-4) linear form of starch

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4
Q

angstrom

A

a unit of length equal to 10^-10 meter typically used to describe the length of a chemical bond

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5
Q

base pair

A

two nucleotides in nucleic acid chains that are paired by hydrogen bonding, such as C-G, A-T, or A-U

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6
Q

base stacking

A

stabilizing interactions between the aromatic rings of the nucleotide bases within the interior of the DNA helix

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7
Q

bioinformatics

A

the use of computational tools to probe and analyze large data sets of biological information, typically whole genomes or proteomes

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8
Q

biomolecule

A

an organic compound essential to living organisms; major types include amino acids, nucleotides, simple sugars, and fatty acids

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9
Q

capsule

A

an outer layer, usually of polysaccharides, that surrounds some prokaryotic cells, particularly bacteria

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10
Q

carbohydrate

A

an organic compound of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that can be a simple sugar or a polymer of sugars; the typical formula is (CH20)n, where n is at least 3

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11
Q

central dogma

A

the description of information transfer in molecular biology, which flows from DNA to RNA to proteins

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12
Q

chitin

A

a linear polysaccharide consisting of N-acetylglucosamine units linked by B(1-4) glycosidic bonds. it is a major component of insect and crustacean exoskeletons and fungal cell walls

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13
Q

chloroplast

A

in plant cells, an organelle that converts light energy into chemical energy

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14
Q

chromatin

A

in eukaryotes, a complex of DNA and proteins that constitutes chromosomes

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15
Q

chromosome

A

a DNA molecule that functions to store and transmit genetic information

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16
Q

coding strand

A

a DNA sequence that has the same 5’ to 3’ polarity as the corresponding mRNA transcript; it is complementary to the DNA template strand

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17
Q

cyclic pathway

A

a metabolic pathway containing several metabolites that regenerate during each turn of the cycle, serving as both reactants and products

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18
Q

cytoplasm

A

a cell’s contents within the plasma membrane (but not including the nucleus in eukaryotic cells), including organelles; the site of most cellular activities

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19
Q

cytoskeleton

A

in eukaryotic cells, a network of intracellular filaments, consisting of oligomeric proteins, that maintains cell structure

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20
Q

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

A

a polymeric macromolecule consisting of nucleotides covalently linked through phosphodiester bonds; the biomolecule encoding inheritable genetic information

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21
Q

DNA replication

A

the enzyme-mediated process of doubling the DNA content of a cell during division

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22
Q

DNA transcription

A

the process of generating RNA from a DNA template

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23
Q

ecosystem

A

a geographic community where different organisms have adapted to share resources and waste management in a linked system of energy flows and nutrient cycles

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24
Q

endoplasmic reticulum

A

in eukaryotic cells, highly invaginated membrane structures that sequester ribosomes for protein synthesis

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25
Q

endosymbiotic theory

A

the theory proposing that eukaryotic cells evolved about 1.5 billion years ago as a result of large predatory cells engulfing aerobic bacteria or cyanobacteria, giving rise to mitochondria and chloroplasts, respectively

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26
Q

enzyme

A

protein or RNA biomolecules that function as reaction catalysts to increase the rates of biochemical reactions

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27
Q

eukaryote

A

a cell that contains a nucleus and other organelles bounded by membranes, creating microenvironments for biochemical reactions

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28
Q

fatty acid

A

an organic molecule consisting of a polar carboxyl group covalently linked to a nonpolar extended hydrocarbon chain

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29
Q

fermentation

A

the conversion of rotting fruit or grain into alcohol and CO2 through the action of yeast enzymes under anaerobic conditions

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30
Q

flagellum

A

an extracellular structure used for cell movement by bacteria and sperm cells

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31
Q

forked pathway

A

a metabolic pathway that generates two products, each of which undergoes a different metabolic fate

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32
Q

gene

A

a segment of DNA that codes for a transcribed RNA molecule; the functional unit of heredity

33
Q

gene duplication

A

a mechanism by which duplication of a region of DNA containing a gene can lead to the evolution of new genetic material

34
Q

genome

A

all of the genetic information in a cell or virus contained in DNA or RNA

35
Q

golgi apparatus

A

in eukaryotic cells, a membranous structure required for protein translocation within the cell and in facilitating protein secretion at the plasma membrane

36
Q

ligand

A

a small molecule that is often a metabolite, a hormone, or peptide and which binds to target proteins and alters their structure and function to control biochemical processes

37
Q

linear metabolic pathway

A

a metabolic pathway in which each reaction generates only a single product, which is a reactant for the next reaction in the pathway

38
Q

lysosome

A

in eukaryotic cells, a membrane-bound organelle involved in degradation and detoxification of macromolecules

39
Q

macromolecule

A

an organic polymer such as protein, nucleic acid, or polysaccharide with high molecular mass (from a few thousand to several million daltons)

40
Q

messenger RNA (mRNA)

A

a molecule of RNA that serves as a template for protein synthesis

41
Q

metabolic flux

A

the rate at which reactants and products are interconverted in a metabolic pathway

42
Q

metabolic pathway

A

sequences of biochemical reactions coordinated and controlled by a cell in response to available energy

43
Q

metabolite

A

any of a group of small biomolecules that serve as reactants and products in biochemical reactions within cells

44
Q

micro RNA (miRNA)

A

genome-encoded small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression and mRNA translation

45
Q

microtubule

A

a cable-like component of the cytoskeleton that enables an animal cell to move by extending the plasma membrane in one direction while retracting it at the opposite end of the cell

46
Q

mitochondria

A

the eukaryotic organelle responsible for many of the metabolic reactions involved in energy conversion and production of ATP

47
Q

mRNA translation

A

the process by which a ribosome decodes a molecule of mRNA and synthesizes a corresponding protein

48
Q

natural selection

A

the change in the frequency of genes in a population under conditions that favor some genes over others

49
Q

nucleoid

A

in bacteria, a region containing the chromosome (without any surrounding membrane)

50
Q

nucleolus

A

in eukaryotic cells, a part of the nucleus where ribosomes are assembled from ribosomal RNA and protein

51
Q

nucleotide

A

an organic molecule consisting of a purine or pyrimidine base, a five-membered sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), and one to three phosphate groups

52
Q

nucleus

A

in eukaryotic cells, a membrane-bound organelle that contains chromosomes

53
Q

orthologous gene

A

one of a set of highly conserved gene sequences that arose from a common ancestral gene and encode proteins with the same function in different species

54
Q

paralogous genes

A

highly conserved genes within the same species; most often derived from the process of gene duplication

55
Q

peptide bond

A

a covalent bond between the alpha amino group of one amino acid and the alpha carboxyl group of another amino acid

56
Q

peroxisome

A

in eukaryotic cells, an organelle containing enzymes for forming or destroying peroxides

57
Q

phosphodiester bond

A

a chemical grouping resulting from two hydroxyl groups in phosphoric acid forming bonds with hydroxyl groups on two other molecules to form ester bonds; the primary linkage between nucleotides in DNA and RNA

58
Q

phospholipid

A

lipids containing a simple organic molecule attached to a negatively charged phosphoryl group and two fatty acids

59
Q

pilus

A

a hair-like appendage on the surface of bacteria, used in cell movement and reproduction

60
Q

transformation (plasmid)

A

a process in which DNA is taken up by bacteria and incorporated into the genome or contained on a DNA plasmid

61
Q

polypeptide

A

a short linear chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds

62
Q

polysaccharide

A

a linear or branched polymer (carbohydrate) of monosaccharide units

63
Q

prokaryote

A

a single-celled organism that lacks a nucleus and other membrane bound organelles; this category includes all bacteria

64
Q

protein

A

a polymer of amino acids represented by an extended polypeptide chain

65
Q

proteome

A

the complete collection of proteins in a cell or organism

66
Q

reverse trasncription

A

the process that converts RNA into DNA, most often related to replication of retroviruses

67
Q

ribonucleic acid (RNA)

A

a nucleic acid polymer consisting of nucleoside monophosphates with unmodified adenine, guanine, cytosine, or uridine nucleotide bases or modified nucleotide bases

68
Q

ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

A

a type of RNA that forms the major component of ribosomes

69
Q

ribosome

A

a large RNA-protein complex that mediates protein synthesis in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells

70
Q

signal transduction

A

mechanisms that facilitate communication between cells, often initiated through the binding of small molecules (ligands) to proteins called receptors

71
Q

simple sugar

A

a monomeric carbohydrate used in the cell for functions such as energy storage, structural organization, or cell recognition

72
Q

small nuclear RNA (snRNA)

A

small RNA molecules involved in RNA processing

73
Q

systems biology

A

the study of complex chemical reaction networks in cells

74
Q

template strand

A

a DNA sequence that has the opposite 5’ to 3’ polarity as the corresponding mRNA transcript; it is complementary to the DNA coding strand

75
Q

transcriptome

A

the collection of DNA transcripts (RNA products) generated by DNA transcription

76
Q

transfer RNA (tRNA)

A

the adaptor molecule in protein synthesis that delivers an amino acid to the ribosome

77
Q

triacylglycerol

A

a neutral (uncharged) lipid that contains three fatty acid esters covalently linked to glycerol

78
Q

vacuole

A

a membrane-bound organelle in many types of eukaryotic cells, particularly plant cells, that stores metabolites and also isolates molecules that might be harmful to the cell

79
Q

wild-type

A

a fully functional protein-coding sequence without any mutations

BMB 401 (6 decks)

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