Exam 1 Flashcards
What is Homeostasis and its function? (Add examples!)
The process of maintaining a relatively stable internal environment despite external variability or stressors (not static!) This covers responses to temperature differences, hunger, respiration rate, urination, reflexes, immune responses, etc.
List the major organic molecules (macromolecules, monomers)
Proteins (Amino Acids), Lipids (Fatty Acids), Nucleic Acids (Nucleotides), Carbohydrates (Monosaccharides). Nonorganic are minerals and vitamins, but also essential! Composed of C, N, H, O
Building a polymer from monomers is done through ___ and depolymerizing a polymer is done through ___
Dehydration, hydrolysis
List the characteristics and roles of carbohydrates
Cn(H2O)n, hydrophilic and very soluble. Glucose is predominantly used in cellular respiration (particularly neurons), while polymers (glycogen) are used to store energy. Also utilized in structure and cell-to-cell recognition
List the characteristics and roles of lipids
Composed of C, H ; nonpolar and very hydrophobic/insoluble in aqueous solutions. Triglycerides/fats serve as long-term energy storage, phospholipids/cholesterol form cell membranes, and steroid hormones perform cell signaling. Note phospholipids can form micelles or bilayers due to nonpolar/polar regions
The 3 paths glucose can take
Immediately digested to release energy, short-term energy storage (glycogen), long-term energy storage (fat)
Characteristics and roles of nucleic acids
DNA and RNA are responsible for storing, expressing, and transmitting genetic information (esp around proteins!
The central dogma of molecular biology is…
DNA is transcribed to mRNA, which then dons a 5’ methyl cap and poly-A tail before being translated by ribosomes into amino acid chains that go on to produce proteins that may connect with other proteins
Characteristics of proteins and their functions
C, H, O, N, S (occasionally). Polymers from 20 possible AAs. Structural (actin, tubulin, collagen, keratin), catalytic (enzyme), regulatory (enzymes, receptors, hormones, transcription factors, neurotransmitters), transport (hemoglobin/carrier proteins), membrane channels, pumps, transporters
What is negative feedback/feedback regulation?
A change in a physiological variable -> physiological regulatory process is initiated/altered -> process outcome -> change in physiological variable is opposed or corrected. THE OUTCOME OF THE REGULATORY PROCESS REDUCES THE RATE OF THAT PROCESS. Also helps in facilitating homeostasis, eg epinephrine signaling
What is positive feedback?
A process where the outcome increases the rate of said process, not for maintaining homeostasis but for cases where homeostasis must be temporarily altered (ie labor, actional potentials) It is an explosive process. There will be a physiological process to stop it at the appropriate time
What is feedforward regulation?
A process responding to sensory information that is used for anticipatory changes. For example, seeing/smelling/tasting food will invoke an endocrine response even before you begin digestion. This helps to maintain a stable glucose level once absorption begins.
Differences between non-covalent and covalent modification in regulatory proteins?
Non-covalent involves the use of ligand and modulator molecules (allosteric/competition for binding sites, inhibition possible?) while covalent modification uses phosphorylation to change the conformation of a protein. Almost switches protein off/on
What are transcription factors and their role?
Regulatory proteins that bind to DNA and modify gene expression rates (enhancers promote, silencers inhibit)
What do receptor proteins do? What are the classes?
Detect extracellular signals (chem. ligands) to begin an intracellular response (signal cascade can happen here)
-Nuclear receptors
-Cell-surface (GPCRs, ligand-gated ion channels, enzyme-linked receptors)
Intracellular/nuclear receptors?
Located on the nucleus surface and generally detect hydrophobic ligands. Activated receptors can function as transcription factors. Examples include steroid hormones (estrogen, testosterone, cortisol)
Cell surface receptors?
Membrane-bound (usually permeates entire phospholipid bilayer) and detects hydrophilic ligands. Regulation involves multiple regulatory proteins and can serve to amplify a signal
GPCRs (process from BE209!)
Use GTP and GDP binding with a G-protein (alpha, beta, delta subunits). When a first messenger binds with a receptor, GDP is phosphorylated to GTP. The alpha subunit detaches from the beta-delta subunits to bind to an effector protein, which then amplifies the signal by producing second messengers or membrane potential changes. GPCRs can be used for many intracellular signals! (All subunits can be used to effect)
Ligand-gated ion channels
Transmembrane protein that serves as both receptors (regulation) and transport proteins by allowing specific molecules to pass into the cell, ie Ca2+ channels
Enzyme-linked receptors
Transmembrane protein that serves as regulatory, catalytic proteins by phosphorylating ATP -> ADP to activate intracellular enzymes. Similar to GPCRs but ATP -> ADP maybe not with the subunits.
Purpose of cell membrane
Maintain a stable internal environment (homeostasis) and facilitate diffusion of molecules in/out. Acquire resources (osmosis/transport), void waste (voiding CO2 while intaking O2 via diffusion)
Intracellular fluid
Fluid inside cells
Interstitial fluid
Fluid between cells (extracellular)
Plasma
Fluid that carries components of blood (white, red blood cells, platelets, etc.) (extracellular)
Diffusion
Random, passive movement of solutes from high to low concentration (moves down concentration gradient) until equilibrium. Rate increases as [Gradient] ^, smaller molecules, shorter distance, higher temp, larger surface area. Simple is unregulated (only for small/hydrophobic molecules), but facilitated is regulated by channels and transporters (still no energy input)
Permeability (p, or P(ion))
Ease a molecule can cross a cell membrane. Small nonpolar > slightly polar small > polar organic molecules > ions, charged polar molecules/macromolecules
Electrochemical gradients
Electrical gradients across a membrane due to transported ions having charges. May cause charged solutes to attract to opp. charged compartment despite concentration gradients
Osmosis
Passive movement of water across a semipermeable membrane to equalize the solute concentrations (Osm, mOsm = total concentration of dissolved solutes in solution). Only regulate rate of osmosis via aquaporins/water channels in plasma membranes
Tonicity
Regarding nonpenetrating solutes: osmosis -> equilibrium but volume of compartments will change to accommodate. Goes from hypotonic to hypertonic to equalize
Active transport
Uses transport protein to move solvents up their concentration gradient, requires energy input and can be regulated
Endo/exocytosis
Membrane-bound vesicles move solutes across membranes, requires energy input and can be regulated
Membrane proteins, channels vs. transporters
Allow selective, regulated facilitated diffusion of larger/polar solutes. Channels are pores that can open/close to allow specific solute diffusion, transporters reversibly bind substrates to carry across the plasma membrane. ALWAYS PASSIVE, ALSO SELECTIVE.
What can cotransport and countertransport do?
Move 2 distinct solutes during each cycle of conformational change
Primary active transport
Pump proteins uses energy (ie ATP hydrolysis) to transport solute up its concentration gradient. Ie Na+/K+-ATPase generates Na+, K+ concentration gradients
Secondary active transport
Co-/countertransporter moves one solute down its concentration gradient and another up its concentration gradient using the energy released from the solute moving down its concentration gradient. Na+ common to drive 2ndary active transport
What are the levels of physiological organization?
Differentiated cell types -> Tissues -> Organs -> Organ system -> Organism
What are the 4 categories of tissue?
Muscle, nerve, epithelial, connective
List the functions of the 4 categories of tissues?
Muscle cells provide physical work like moving body parts and contracting the gut/heart. Nervous cells process information and control other body systems. Epithelial cells line body surfaces, regulating movement in/out of the body, also forms glands. Connective cells include bones/tendons/ligaments, providing structure/adhesion, energy storage, immune stuff
What is the ECM and its functions?
A protein/polysaccharide structure in interstitial fluid providing structure and areas for cells to connect to
Name the types of junctions and their functions
Anchoring junctions strongly link cells to each other and the extracellular matrix.
Tight junctions link epithelial cells together to prevent extracellular materials from leaking between cells.
Gap junctions provide channels for solutes to diffuse between linked cells (not for structure/stability)
Polarity of epithelial cells
Apical faces the outside of a structure towards the lumen. Basolateral faces the ECM and the basement membrane
What is lumen?
The open space within tubular organs
What is transcellular transport?
The use of endo/exocytosis or channels/transporters/pumps to move water/solutes into/across epithelial cells
What is paracellular transport?
Materials moving through tight junctions, only very small molecules like water
What are essential nutrients?
Compounds essential to survival that we cannot synthesized/interconverted from other molecules (non-essential nutrients)
List steps from ingestion to elimination:
Food is ingested and mechanically digested by chewing and stomach churning.
Food is chemically digested by secretions (HCl, enzymes) in the small intestine.
Nutrients are further digested/altered via microbial fermentation from symbiotic gut microbiota.
Digested molecules, water are absorbed across gut epithelium with transporter proteins (final digestion).
Smooth muscle contractions move food through digestive system and eventually void feces.