definition for unit 1 Flashcards
What is IEP?
The pH at which a soluble protein has no net charge and will precipitate out of
solution.
What are monoclonal antibodies?
Stocks of antibodies with the same specificity.
What is aseptic technique?
The sterilisation of equipment and culture media by heat or chemical means and subsequent exclusion of microbial contaminants.
What are growth factors?
Proteins that promote cell
growth and proliferation. They are essential for the culture of most animal cells.
What is the proteome?
The entire set of proteins
expressed by a genome.
What is the endoplasmic reticulum?
A network of membrane tubules continuous with the nuclear membrane.
What is the Golgi apparatus?
A series of flattened membrane discs.
What are lysosomes?
Membrane-bound organelles containing a variety of hydrolases that digest proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and
carbohydrates.
What is a signal sequence?
A short stretch of amino
acids at one end of the polypeptide that determines the eventual location of a protein in a cell.
What are proteins?
Polymers of amino acid monomers
What is the primary structure?
The sequence in which the amino acids are synthesised into the polypeptide.
What are disulfide bridges?
Covalent bonds between
R groups containing sulfur.
What is a prosthetic group?
A non-protein unit tightly bound to a protein and necessary for its function.
What is a ligand?
A substance that can bind to a protein.
What is the phospholipid bilayer?
A barrier to ions and most uncharged polar molecules.
What is facilitated diffusion?
The passive transport
of substances across the membrane through specific transmembrane proteins.
What are channels?
Multi-subunit proteins with the subunits arranged to form water-filled pores
that extend across the membrane.
What is a membrane potential?
When there is a difference in electrical charge on the two sides of the membrane.
What are receptor molecules of target molecules?
Proteins with a binding site for a specific signal molecule.
What are transcription factors?
Proteins that when bound to DNA can either stimulate or inhibit initiation of transcription.
What is resting membrane potential?
A state where there is no net flow of ions across the
membrane.
What is an action potential?
A wave of electrical excitation along a neuron’s plasma membrane.
What is depolarisation?
A change in the membrane
potential to a less negative value inside.
What is the retina?
The area within the eye that
detects light and contains two types of photoreceptor cells: rods and cones.
What are microtubules?
Hollow cylinders composed
of the protein tubulin.
What are checkpoints?
Mechanisms within the cell
that assess the condition of the cell during the cell cycle and halt progression to the next phase until certain requirements are met.
What is a proto-oncogene?
A normal gene, usually
involved in the control of cell growth or division, which can mutate to form a tumour promoting oncogene.
