History and Context Flashcards
Synthetic biology
Craig Venter
Constructed the first self-replicating synthetic bacterial cell, but a third of its genome is still yet to be understood.
Affordable genome sequencing
New technologies make it more accessible (moore’s law) giving a lot of information for any species or individual.
Cell manipulation and gene editing
Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer Doudna (NP) CRIPSR/Cas9 for editing of the genome
Biology and AI
AlphaFold2 used the rules of folding to predict the structure of virtually all known genomes, even creating a brand new one.
“google deepmind” used to predict drugs.
Robert Hooke
1760s
Observed cork samples and observed “cells”, then wrote “Micrographia” on his observations o f”minute bodies”
Antoine van Leeuwenhoek
1670s
Dutch textile merchant who was the first to observe unicellular organisms - “animalcules”
Schleiden and Schwann
1838
All organism are composed of one or more cells.
The cell is the structural unit of life.
Virchow
1855
Cells can only arise by division from a pre-existing cell.
Evolution of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells (BYA)
P - 2.7 billion years ago
E - 2.0 billion years ago
Common features of prokaryotes and eukaryotes
Plasma membrane, identical genetic code, shared pathways (glycolysis), make ATP, photosynthesis, mechanism for inserting membrane proteins, proteins omens, similar cytoskeleton features
Micrometers
10^-6 meters
1000 microns in 1 mm
used for measurement of cells
Nanometers
10^-9 m
measures cellular components
Angstroms
10^-10 m
approx. diameter of a hydrogen atom, used to describe the size of macromolecules
Animal cell size
20 μm
Bacterium size
1-10 μm
Ribosome size
25-30 nm
Membrane width
7-8 nm
Microtubule diameter
25 nm
Microfilament diameter
7 nm
DNA helix diameter
2 nm
Reductionism of cell biology
To explain the whole you must make indirect observations by looking at individual components
3 statements of cell complexity
Cells possess a genetic program and a means to use it.
Cells are capable of producing more of themselves.
Cells acquire and utilise energy.
4 statements if cells being dynamic
Cells engage in mechanical activities.
Cells are able to respond to stimuli.
Cells are capable of self-regulation.
Cells evolve.
Stanley miller and Harold Urey on abiogenesis
Mixed water vapor, methane, ammonia, hydrogen in a sealed glass, sparked with lightning. One week later, basic organic compounds had formed, proving the these conditions could lead to spontaneous life.
