Introduction to cell biology Flashcards
What are the most abundant atoms in the universe?
- Hydrogen
- Helium
When did the atoms of the universe form?
About 13.7 billion years ago
What occured when the atoms formed?
- creation of light
- Especially red and infrared light
Where in our current universe is now the place where the light that surrounds us was originally formed?
46 billion light years away
How many of the elements on the periodic table of the elements occur naturally?
94
What is a chemical reaction?
Modification of a molecule (most often: change of position of electrons in the molecule)
Why do living entities use chemical reactions/regulate chemical reactions?
- grow
- accomplish tasks
- manipulate the environment
What are salts?
Ions held together by ionic bonds
Why do ionic bonds break up in water?
Being neutralized by a lot of small charges (i.e. by water) is more stable than being neutralized by an ionic bond
What are the elements that compose cells?
- carbon
- hydrogen
- nitrogen
- ozygen
- others (phosophorus and sulfur)
What is the most abundant element in cells?
Hydrogen
Are lipids hydrophobic or hydrophiliac?
hydrophobic because of the length of the chain, which makes it very stable
What are the different molecules formed by CHNOPS elements in the cell?
- water
- sugar
- lipids
- neucleic acids
- amino acids
What percentage of the cell mass is made up of sugars?
15%
What percentage of the cell mass is made up of lipids?
10%
What percentage of the cell mass is made up of nucleic acids?
15%
What percentage of the cell mass is made up of amino acids?
50%
What is a ribozyme?
Strand of RNA that can catalyze a chemical reaction.
What is an enzyme?
A protein that can catalyze chemical reactions
What is tRNA?
Small strands of RNA that hold amino acids who can be strung together easily to make new proteins.
What is a ribosome (from an anatomical point of view)?
Strands of RNA and amino acids
What is the function of a ribosome?
- creation of protein by linking the amino acids held by tRNA molecules
- TRANSLATION of RNA into protein
What is the mechanism of RNA translation?
1) the small unit grabs to a long strand of RNA
2) the large subunit identifies tRNA molecules that complement the RNA strand
3) the ribosome removes the corresponding amino acid from the tRNA
4) the ribosome links the new amino acid to the previous amino acid
5) the ribosome takes a step and goes on to the next codon