Chapter 1: The Cell as a Unit of Health and Disease Flashcards
Five major classes of functional non-protein-coding sequences in the human genome AND their function?
- Promoter and enhancer regions that provide binding sites for transcription factors.
- Binding sites for factors that organize and maintain higher order chromatin structures.
- Noncoding regulatory RNAs. Over 60% of the genome is transcribed into RNAs that are never translated but regulate gene expression through a variety of mechanisms. The two best-studied varieties—micro-RNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)—are described later.
- Mobile genetic elements (e.g., transposons) make up more than a third of the human genome. These “jumping genes” can move around the genome during evolution, resulting in variable copy number and positioning even among closely related species (e.g., humans and other primates). Although implicated in gene regulation and chromatin organization, the function of mobile genetic elements is not well established.
- Special structural regions of DNA, in particular, telomeres (chromosome ends) and centromeres (chromosome “tethers”). A major component of centromeres is so-called satellite DNA, consisting of large arrays—up to megabases in length—of repeating sequences (from 5?bp up to 5?kb). Although classically associated with spindle apparatus attachment, satellite DNA is also important in maintaining the dense, tightly packed organization of heterochromatin (discussed later).
The two most common forms of DNA variation in the human genome?
- SNPs
- CNVs
Histone marks and their effect(s) on transcription?
- Histone methylation. Both lysines and arginines can be methylated by specific writer enzymes; methylation of histone lysine residues can lead to transcriptional activation or repression, depending on which histone residue is marked.
- Histone acetylation. Lysine residues are acetylated by histone acetyltransferases (HATs), whose modifications tend to open the chromatin and increase transcription. In turn, these changes can be reversed by histone deacetylases (HDACs), leading to chromatin condensation.
- Histone phosphorylation. Serine residues can be modified by phosphorylation; depending on the specific residue, the DNA may be opened for transcription or condensed and inactive.
- DNA methylation. High levels of DNA methylation in gene regulatory elements typically result in transcriptional silencing. Like histone modifications, DNA methylation is tightly regulated by methyltransferases, demethylating enzymes, and methylated-DNA-binding proteins.
- Chromatin organizing factors. Much less is known about these proteins, which are believed to bind to noncoding regions and control long-range looping of DNA, thus regulating the spatial relationships between enhancers and promoters that control gene expression.
Role of cytosol (1)
- Metabolism
- Transport
- Protein translation
Role of mitochondria (1)
- Energy generation
- Apoptosis
Role of rough ER (1)
Synthesis of membrane and transport proteins
Role of smooth ER, Golgi (1)
- Protein modification
- Sorting
- Catabolism
Role of nucleus (1)
- Cell regulation
- Proliferation
- DNA transcription
Role of endosomes (1)
Intracellular transport and export
Role of lysosomes (1)
Cellular catabolism
Role of peroxisomes (1)
Very long-chain fatty acid metabolism
Specific phospholipids that interact with particular membrane proteins and modify their distributions and functions?
- Phosphatidylinositol
- Phosphatidylserine
- Glycolipids
- Sphingomyelin
The plasma membrane is liberally studded with a variety of proteins and glycoproteins involved in..?
- Ion and metabolite transport
- Fluid-phase and receptor-mediated uptake of macromolecules
- Cell-ligand, cell-matrix, and cell-cell interactions
Name different types of transmembrane transport.
- Carrier
- Channel
- Endocytosis (caveolae- and receptor-mediated)
- Exocytosis
- Phagocytosis
- Transcytosis
3 major classes of cytoskeletal proteins?
- Actin microfilaments
- Intermediate filaments
- Microtubules