Definitions Flashcards
Glycosidic Bonds
Formed when monosaccharides join with a dehydration reaction (water removed)
Glycogen
A polysaccharide that stores glucose molecules in animal cells
Starch
A polysaccharide that stores glucose molecules in plant cells
Amylopectin
Another term for starch
Cellulose
Main structural component of plant cell walls
Carbohydrate
Made of glucose molecules linked together by a beta 1-4 linkage (which is very strong)
Chitin
Main structural component of animal cell walls
Carbohydrate
Forms exoskeletons of arthropods
Lipids
Fats
Used for energy storage
Major component in cell membranes
Steroid hormones important in cell signalling and messenger molecules
Fatty acids
Long hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains (16-18 carbons) with a carboxyl (COO-) group at one end
Unsaturated fatty acids
One or more double bonds
Saturated fatty acids
No double bonds
Triglycerides
Also known as fats
3 fatty acids linked to a glycerol molecule
Used as storage for fatty acids
Breaking them down yields energy
Insoluble in water
Phospholipids
Main component of cell membranes
2 non polar Fatty acids joined to a polar head group
Glycerol Phospholipids
2 non polar fatty acids bound to a glycerol, which is bound to a phosphate group, which is bound to a polar group
Sphinogomyelin
Only nonglycerol phospholipid found in cell membranes
Polar head group is formed from serine
Amphipathic
Molecules with a polar (water soluble) end and a non polar (hydrophobic) end
Glycolipids
Amphipathic
2 hydrocarbon chains and a carbohydrate polar head group
Cholesterol
Amphipathic
4 hydrophobic hydrocarbon rings and a polar hydroxyl (OH) group
Steroid hormones
Derivatives of cholesterol, act as chemical messengers
Ex. estrogen, testosterone
Nucleic acid
Principle informational molecule of the cell
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Genetic storage material
Ribonucleic acid
Genetic material with multiple purposes
mRNA
messanger RNA
carries genetic information copied from the original DNA to the ribosome
read in 5’ to 3’ direction
transport of mRNA out of the nucleus is independent of Ran and does not involve karyopherins
only RNA that does not require transport proteins!
rRNA
ribosomal RNA
involved in protein synthesis, reads the mRNA and puts the amino acids in the correct order
catalyzes peptide bond formation
tRNA
transfer RNA
involved in protein synthesis, brings amino acids to ribosome to be coded into proteins and aligns them with corresponding codons on the mRNA template
70-80 nucleotides long and are clover shaped
purine
nucleotides that make up DNA and RNA
adenine
guanine
pyrimidine
nucleotides that make up DNA and RNA
cytosine
thymine (dna only)
uracil (rna only)
nucleoside
nucleotide base linked to sugars
2’-deoxyribose
the sugar in dna
ribose
the sugar in rna
phosphodiester bond
bonds between nucleotides that make up dna/rna
form between 5’ phosphate of one nucleotide and the 3’ hydroxyl group of another
oligonucleotides
polymer of only a few nucleotides
polynucleotides
polymer of thousands or millions of nucleotides
rna and dna are polynucleotides
synthesized int he 5’ to 3; direction
complimentary base pairs
hydrogen bonds between nucleotides:
guanine - cytosine
adenine - thymine (dna)
adenine - uracil (rna)
5’-triphosphate
ATP
main form of chemical energy in cells
protein
diverse macromolecules
polymers of amino acids
- structural components
- transport and storage of small molecules
- transmit informtaion between cells (protein hormones)
- defence against infection (antibodies)
- enzymes
amino acids
consist of an alpha carbon bonded to a carboxyl group and an amino acid group, a hydrogen, and a side chain
4 categories:
- non polar
- polar
- basic
- acidic
20 amino acids
peptide bones
joins amino acids
polypeptides
chains of hundreds or thousands of amino acids
synthesized from n-terminus to c-terminus
n-terminus
an alpha amino group at the end of a polypeptide chain
c-terminus
an alpha carboxyl group at the end of a polypeptide chain
x-ray crystallography
way to analyze the 3D shape of proteins
used to understand protein folding
primary structure of proteins
sequence of amino acids in a chain
secondary structure of proteins
many chains of amino acids stuck together that conform to a structure
alpha helix beta sheet (folded)
held together by hydrogen bonds between the peptide bonds
tertiary structure
side chains of amino acids interact with different regions of the polypeptide chain
made up of alpha helixes and beta sheets
shape determined by location of hydrophobic and hydrophilic amino acids
(hydrophobic amino acids folded to be on the inside of the protein, and hydrophilic amino acids are on the surface where they interact with water)
domain
the basic unit of tertiary structure
loop region of a protein
areas where secondary structures of a protein are connected
quarternary structure
composed of more than one polypeptide/protein
ex. hemoglobin is composed of 4 polypeptides
enzymes
catalysts that increase rate of chemical reactions
do not affect the amount of product, just the speed that you get it
(lowers the transition state/activation energy)
does not get ‘used up’ by the reaction
substrate
the reactants of a chemical reaction involving enzymes
transition state
a higher energy state that reactants need to reach before they can make the product
activation energy
amount of energy needed to reach the transition state
activation site
a site on an enzyme where a specific substrate binds to speed up the reaction
enzyme-substrate complex
the result of a substrate that has binded to its substrate
lock-and-key model
the substrate fits precisely into the active site
induced fit model
structure of both enzyme and substrate is modified after binding to make a perfect fit
prosthetic groups
small molecules that bind to proteins that allows them to bind with enzymes
coenzymes
small organic molecules that work with enzymes to enhance reaction rates
are not altered by reactions
almost always associated with vitamins
NAD+
nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide
a cozenzyme that carries electrons in an oxidation-reduction reaction
accept H+ (proton) and 2 electrons to form NADH
NADH
NAD+ plus an H+ proton
carries electrons and donates them to other substrates (this causes it to form NAD+ again)
vitamins
contribute part of all of the structure of coenzymes
feedback inhibition
the product of a metabolic pathway inhibits an enzyme involved in its own synthesis
a regulatory molecule binds to an enzyme site that is distinct from the catalytic site
changes confirmation of enzyme and prevents substrate from being able to bind to it
a type of allosteric regulation
allosteric regulation
controls enzyme activity by binding small molecules to the regulatory sites on enzymes
this results in the structure of enzymes, and thus the activation site to change
phosphorylation
a mechanism of enzyme regulation
either stimulates or inhibits the activities of many enzymes
phosphate groups are added to side chain of OH groups of serine, threonine, or tyrosine
phospholipid bilayers
2 layers of sheets of phospholipids with the hydrophobic tails facing each other, and the hydrophilic heads facing outwards
proteins are found within this structure
structure makes it selectively permeable
allows cell to control its internal composition
all cells membranes are like this
types of phospholipids, and number of lipids in a membrane varies
polar
hydrophilic
non polar
hydrophobic
mammal cell membranes
has 5 major types of phospholipids
animal cell membranes
contain glycolipids and cholesterol
membrane fluidity
determined by temperature and lipid composition
cholesteroles and other hormones affect this
unsaturated fats have kinks in their tails an reduces packing and increases fluidity
unsaturated fatty acids
have kinks in their tails
cholesterol
reduces interaction between fatty acids (comes inbetween)
and allows membrane to stay fluid at colder temperatures
fluid mosaic
our current understanding of the structure of phospholipid bilayers
Integral membrane protein
proteins embedded in the lipid bilayer
peripheral membrane protein
associated with the cell membrane indirectly
often by interactions with integral membrane proteins
transmembrane proteins
goes THROUGH the entire lipid bilayer, with exposed portions on both sides
usually has an apha helix structure and is made of 20-25 nonpolar amino acids
beta barrel protein structure
barrel shape made up of beta sheets that have folded into the tube structure
selectively permeable membrane
small, nonpolar molecules can diffuse across lipid bilayers
Ex. CO2, O2, H2O
ions and larger uncharged molecules cannot
channel proteins
transporter
act as open pores across the cell membrane, and can be selectively opened and closed in response to extra cellular signals
ion channels
allow passage of inorganic ions
carrier proteins
selectively bind and transport small molecules through the cell membrane
undergo conformation changes after binding to specific molecules that open its channel so that molecules can pass
ex. glucose can be transported with carrier proteins
passive transport
molecule movement across the membrane is determined by concentration and electrochemical gradients
no ATP required
active transport
molecules can be transported against a concentration gradient using energy from the hydrolysis of ATP
transcription
mRNA template made from DNA so that proteins can be made outside to nucleus without endangering the DNA
translation
tRNA and rRNA bind amino acids together to make polypeptide chains using mRNA template
first step of making proteins
gene expression
regulated during translation in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
affects all aspects of cell behaviour and protein acivity
codon
3 bases in a row that code for a specific amino acid
codons tell the ribosome what amino acid needs to be attached next
aminoacyl rTNA synthestase
enzyme that attaches amino acids to specific tRNAs
20 different enzymes, one for each amino acid
each one recognizes a single type of amino acid, and the tRNA it should attach to
codon at 3’ end of tRNA
CCA
nonstandard codon
wobble
accounts for mistakes in mRNA sequence
each amino acid has multiple codons in case of coding error
70S ribosome
bacterial ribosome
80S ribosome
eukaryotic ribosome
UTRs
untranslated regions
noncoding regions at ends of mRNAs
monocistronic
encodes a single protein
common in most eukaryotic mRNAs
polycistronic
encodes multiple proteins
each are translated from an independent start site
common in most prokaryotic mRNAs
AUG
starting codon for
methionine
translation in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes