Life at the Cellular Level Flashcards
Prokaryotic Cells
- Bacteria, archaea
- lack nuclear membrane
- no membrane bound organelles
Eukaryotic Cells
- Animals, plants, fungi, algae and protozoa
- nucleus with membrane
- Membrance bound organelles
Describe human (eukaryotic) cells
- surrounded by a cell membrane
- contain a number of different organelles that from the machinery of the cellular factory
Describe the cell/plasma membrane /plasmalemma
- Comprises a double layer of lipid with attached phosphate groups = phospholipid bilayer.
- Forms a selective barrier, being choosy about what it allows to cross in or out of the cell.
- Embedded in the membrane are proteins which act as receptors to detect chemical messengers and signalling molecules in the fluid surrounding cells (extracellular fluid).
Describe the cytoskeleton
- Supports and maintains cell shape.
- Holds organelles in position – internal cell order.
- Helps move organelles around the cell – intracellular transport.
- Drives and guides cellular migration – movement.
- Protein fibres of the cytoskeleton connect with protein fibres in the extracellular space – Assembly of cells into tissues
What does the cytoskeleton include?
- Microfilaments - actin
- Intermediate filaments - keratin, neurofilament protein
- Microtubles - tublin
What do some cells have (cytoskelton related)
Surface projections supported by the cytoskelton:
1. cilia short usually many present, move with stiff power stroke and flexible recovery stroke (e.g. lung cilia)
2. Flagella longer, usually one or two present, movemnt is snakelike (e.g. sperm)
Both made of microtubules
Describe the nucleus
- Contains DNA - the brain of the cell.
- Nucleoli are sites of ribosomal RNA synthesis and ribosomal assembly.
- The nucleus is enclosed in the nuclear membrane/envelope which, like all biological membranes, is a phospholipid bilayer.
- It is closely associated with the Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
Describe the Endoplasmic Reticulum
- Membrane bound organelle
- Endoplasmic reticulum comes in rough (RER) and smooth (SER) varieties
- RER has ribosomes attached giving it the “rough” appearance
- Ribosomes synthesise proteins
- RER modifies proteins.
- SER has no ribosomes attached and is mainly associated with lipid and steroid hormone production and metabolism of toxins
Describe the golgi apparatus
- Membrane bound organelle
- Golgi Apparatus packages up protein in preparation for transport out of the cell
Mitochondria
- Organelles bound by a phospholipid bilayer.
- Outer membrane contains pores
- Inner membrane has cristae (folds which inc surface area)
- Matrix contains most of the enzymes required for metabolising food molecules (e.g. Krebs cycle).
Other Mitochondria facts
- They have their own circular DNA.
- They have their own ribosomes – similar to bacterial ribosomes.
- They synthesise most of their own proteins.
- They can self-replicate.
Lysosomes and Peroxisomes
Lysosomes and peroxisomes are membrane bound vesicles containing enzymes – they separate enzymes from the rest of the cell. Enzymes are one form of protein packaged by the Golgi apparatus that catalyse reactions in cells, but need to be stored until needed.
Lysosomes
Lysosomal enzymes are degradative and they are responsible for the digestion of biological materials (cells own materials; autophagy) or digestion of engulfed particles (e.g. bacteria).
peroxisomes
Peroxisomal enzymes degrade long-chain fatty acids and other foreign toxic molecules. These reactions generate hydrogen peroxide, which is toxic. Peroxisomes break the hydrogen peroxide (catalase enzyme) protecting the cell.
Ribosome
Site of protein synthesis in a cell.
Reads mature mRNA transcript and sysnthesises sequence of amino acids, which can then be folded to form proteins
What are Stem Cells?
Stem cells are cells that can differentiate into many (multipotent) or any (pluripotent) cell types of the body.
Clinically they have been used in the treatment of certain diseases including some cancers.
Explain cell differentiation
- Undifferentiated stem cells divide and give rise to (genetically identicle) daughter cells
- Differences in gene expression and the local cellular environment cause daughter cells to develop into different cell types
Stem cells in the lab
Stem cells canbe differentiated into almost any type in the lad and used as models for reserch
What is constantly happening to our tissues
Tissues are collections of cells sharing a similar function and are as such contantly being remodelled with cells dying…
Apoptosis
Controlled and programmed cell death at a predetermined time. It is a normal process and essential for normal function.
necrosis
Untimely death of cells in **response to injury or infection. **It is NOT a normal process
What 2 things are intimately coupled?
Apoptosis and cell proliferation
What happens when the balance betweel apoptosis and proliferation is lost?
Cancers can occur:
* Divide without any control
* Fail to coordinate with normal cells.
* Fail to differentiate into specialized cells
* Displace and replace the normal cells – if not stopped.
What could happen when a cell is damaged during division?
- Cell damaged fixed
- Cell death - apoptosis
- Cell damage not fixed leading to uncontrolled proliferation
What are all human cells surrounded by?
Double membrane made up of lipid and phosphate - phospholipid bilayer
All substances entering/leaving the cell must cross the cell membrane
Chemical composition of the cell
- 4 organic basic elements: H,C,N,O
- 7 required in reatively large amounts: Na,Mg,K,Ca,P,S,Cl
- 12 trace elements needed in small amounts: Fe, Mn,Co,Ni,Cu,Zn,Mo,Se,I (from critical interactions in proteins; fe in heamoglobin)
Get these from our diet
Vanancy of 4 core organic molecules
H - 1
O - 2
N - 3
C - 4
Which is the most versitile element
C as can form bonds (sometimes 2/3/4) with H,O,N and C. This bonding versitity is why C forms the basis of most biomolecules
Molecule
2 or more atoms sharing (loosing or gaining e-) in a covalent bond
explain functional groups
Linked carbon atoms can form a variety of structures (linear chains, branched chains and cyclic structures).
Groups of elements that attach to these carbon structures are called “functional groups” and confer specific chemical properties to the molecule. Often more than one functional group per molecule. Important functional groups include: amino NH2, carboxyl COOH, Hydroxyl OH, Phosphate H2PO4
Define configuration
Fixed arrangement of atoms in a molecule
Explain configuration, cis/trans in more detial
Many biomolecules contain a double bond between carbon atoms (C=C) which is rigid (no freedom of rotation). They can therefore only interconvert between the two by breaking and re-forming bonds (energetically expensive!)
Can therefore only have two distinct configurations: cis/trans
1. Cis - groups on same side of bond
2. trans - groups on opposite side of bond
How can configuration be important biologically?
Changes in the configuration of a biological molecule can alter its conformation to other molecules and thus, if this configuration was to change binding and cellular pathways/reactions may change/be initiated too.
ex: Rhodopsin is a protein embedded in the (rods of the) retina of the eye that is bound to retinal. On exposure to light the configuration of retinal alters (from cis-retinal to trans-retinal) and this alteration stimulates nerves cells in the optic nerve to send messages to the brain where we “see”
Carbon molecules - symmetry
- Symmetric - achiral
- asymmetric - chiral
Asymmetric carbon molecules can be either L (laevo) or D (Dextro) - Most of the monosaccharides naturally occur in D- form
- The amino acid residues in proteins are L-amino acids
Describe conformation
the spatial arrangement of groups that can have different positions in space due to the freedom of rotation of single bonds
5 chemical reactions of life
- Redox reactions
- Making and breaking C-C bonds
- Internal rearrangements
- Group transfers
- Condensation and hydrolysis reactions
1.redox reactions
OILRIG
oxidising agent is reduced and gains e-
reducing agent is oxidised and looses e-
- redox example
glucose —(2NAD+ > 2NADH)—> 2 pyruvate —(2NADH > 2NAH+)—> 2 lactate
Give what is being reduced and the reducing agent?
- NAD+ is being reduced to NADH (gained e- as lost +ve charge)
- NADH is reducing agent - donates e- to pyruvate meaning pyruvate is reduced to lactate - thus NADH becomes oxidised to NAD+
Key points to remember about NADH and NAD+
- NADH is reducing agent
- NAD+ is oxidising agent
2 Making/breaking C-C bonds examples
Breaking C-C bonds = gycolysis (Fructose 1,6 - biphosphate –> dihydroxyacetone phosphate + glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate)
Making C-C bonds = gluconeogenesis (bicarbonate + pyruvate –> oxaloacetate)
3 Internal rearrangements example
glycolysis:
glucose 6-phosphate –> fructose 6-phosphate
4 Group Transfers example
Phosphoryl group (PO32-) is transfered from ATP to Fructose1,6-biphosphate. Reaction is catalysed by enzymes with ATP providing the energy for cellular reactions
5 condensation and hydrolysis definitions
condensation: : two smaller molecules combine to form a larger molecule, releaseing water
Hydrolysis: breaking a large molecule into smaller units using water
5 condensation/hydrolysis examples
The subunits of proteins, polysaccharides and nucleic acids are all joined by condensation and broken by hydrolysis reactions.
give 4 biological macromolecules
- Carbohydrate
- Lipid
- Protein
- Nucleic Acid
What are carboydrates
give some facts
Glucose polymers:
Start with condensation reaction between 2 glucose monomers.
Glucose can exist in an open-chain or ring form
* When polymers are formed, one glucose monomer is linked to another which locks the additional glucose in a cyclic form
* When lots of monomers link together, all monomers of the chain are locked in the cyclic form except the end monomer, which can remain linear. This end monomer then forms a ‘reducing end’.
Glucose is termed a “reducing sugar”.
What are proteins
Proteins are long chains of amino acids (polypeptides are chains of amino acids as well but shorter than proteins). These chains are formed by condensation reactions. The amino group of one amino acid reacts with the carboxyl group of another to form a peptide bond (CONH) with a molecule of water being lost (condensation) as each bond is form.
Polysaccharide
an abundant carbohydrate found in food
Nucleic acids?
- Form core structure of DNA and RNA
- Polymers of nucleotide monomers linked by 3’,5’-phosphodieter bonds
How do DNA and RNA differ?
- DNA is double stranded nucleic acid with A-T and G-C base pairing
- RNA is a single stranded nucleic acid with A-U and G-C base pairing
Give classification of bases
Purines: adenine, guanine
Pyrimidines: thymine, cytosine, uracil
What are lipids?
Mainly repeating units of fatty acids which are long chains of C and H and can be saturated (C-C) opr unsaturated (C=C, mono or poly depending on number of double bonds).