Ch 1: Cell Fundamentals Flashcards
How large are most animal and plant cells, and how can they be seen?
5-20 um in diameter, and can be seen with a light microscope
Pros and cons of electron microscopes
Reveal small organelles, by the cells cannot be seen alive
3 domains of the tree of life
Bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes
What structures are in the cytoplasm of a cell?
Membrane- enclosed organelles with a variety of specific functions
1) mitochondria: carry out oxidation of food molecules and produce ATP
2) endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus: synthesize complex molecules for export from the cell and for insertion in cell membranes
3) lysosomes: digest large molecules
4) chloroplasts: in plants and photosynthetic eukaryotes
What is the cytoplasm made of?
Outside the membrane-enclosed organelles is the cytosol, a concentrated mixture of small and large molecules that carry out essential biochemical processes
What is the cytoskeleton?
Protein filaments that extend through the cytoplasm and are responsible for cell shape and movement and the transport of organelles and large molecular complexes from one intracellular location to another
Composed of actin filaments, microtibules, and intermediate filaments
Prominent role in cell division
Name some model organisms and why we study them
1) E. coli: fundamental processes of life, biotech like producing therapeutic proteins
2) brewer’s yeast, a simple eukaryote
3) nematode worm (c elegans), apoptosis
4) fruit fly, animal genetics
5) arabidopsis, plant model similar to many crop species
6) zebrafish, vertebrate development
7) mice mammals
8) humans
How many protein-encoding genes are in the human genome?
20,000
Archaeon
Microscopic organism that is one of the prokaryotes and often found in hostile conditions
Endoplasmic reticulum
Labyrinthine membrane-enclosed organelle where copies and proteins are made
Genome
The total genetic information carried by all the chromosomes of a cell or organism
Total number of chromosomes in humans
23:
22 autosomes plus the x and Y chromosomes
Golgi apparatus
Membrane enclosed organelle that modifies the proteins and lipids made in the endoplasmic reticulum and sorts them for transport to other sites
Mitochondrion
Membrane-enclosed organelle that carries our oxidative phosphorylation and produces most of the ATP in eukaryotic cells
Consume oxygen and produce co2(cellular respiration )
Contain their own DNA and reproduce by dividing
Plasma membrane
Protein-containing lipid bilayer that surrounds a living cell
Prokaryote
Major category of living cells, distinguished by absence of a nucleus
Includes bacteria and archaea
Protozoan
Free-living, non photosynthetic single-celled motile eukaryote
Ribosome
Large macromoleclar complex composed of RNAs and proteins that translates messenger RNA into a polypeptide chain
RNA
Ribonucleic acid
Single-stranded molecule produced by the transcription or DNA
Polynucleotide linked by ribonucleotide subunits
Serves a variety of informational, structural, catalytic, and regulatory functions in cells
Cytoplasm
Contents of a cell that are contained within its plasma membrane by m eukaryotic cells is outside the nucleus
Chromosome
Long thread like structure composed of DNA and proteins that carries the genetic information of an organism
Becomes visible as a distinct entity when a cell prepares to divide
What are the universal features of cells on earth?
1) all have the same basic chemistry: DNA synthesis (replication), RNA synthesis ( transcription), protein synthesis (translation)
2) all cells store hereditary information in the same linear chemical code (DNA)
3) all cells replicate hereditary information by templated polymerization
4) DNA replication is semi-conservative
5) All cells transcribe portions of their hereditary information into the same intermediary form (RNA)
6) All cells use proteins as catalysts
7) all cells translate RNA into protein the same way
How many nucleotides does it take to code one amino acid, and how many amino acids are there for life on earth?
3 nucleotides for one amino acid, 20 nucleotides for life on earth
Diagram of membrane enclosed organelles
