MCAT Biology Flashcards
How do enzymes affect reactions?
The catalytic action of enzymes changes the activation energy, and thus the reaction rate. Enzymes decrease the activation energy. Enzymes DO NOT alter equilibrium constant, equilibrium concentrations, nor spontaneity.
How would being in a hot dry climate keep one cooler than in a place of high humidity?
Sweating in hot dry place occurs more easily. Evaporation of liquid dissipates body heat helping to lower the body’s temperature and keep it from overheating. In a dry climate, the low humidity allows water to evaporate more easily, increasing sweating.
What type of protein (category and specific name(s)) form skin, hair, and nails. (just name them)
Fibrous proteins - keratins
What are characteristics of keratins
They are fibrous proteins that are classified as soft or hard according to their sulfur content (i.e. the relative number of cysteine residues in their polypeptide chains). The low-sulfur keratins of the skin are much more flexible that the high-S, hard keratins
Name the kind of proteins make up muscles (category and specific name(s))
Fibrous proteins - actin and myosin
What is the role of actin and myosin proteins and how do their work?
Actin and myosin proteins of muscle tissue interact to form cross-linkages that allow the sliding of the filaments over each other in muscle contraction, which takes place through the contraction and relaxation of the sarcomere, the fundamental unit of all muscle fibers. When the muscle contracts, the actin and myosin filament slide over each other and the H-zone (actin-only region), Z-lines (sarcomere boundries), and I-ban (myosin-only region) all shrink, while the A-band (the entire myosin region) remains the same size. The opposite occurs upon muscle relaxation
What is the fundamental unit of all muscle fibers?
Sarcomere
What is a Z-line
A sarcomere boundary in muscle tissue upon which the actin and myosin filaments slide over
What is the H-zone
The actin-only region in muscle tissue upon which the actin and myosin filaments slide over
What is the I-band
The myosin-only region in muscle tissue upon which the actin and myosin filaments slide over
Name the kind of protein found in tendons and connective ligaments within the body (category and specific name(s))
Fibrous proteins - collagen
Name three different fibrous proteins
- Keratin (hair, skin, nails)
- Myosin and actin (muscle tissue)
- Collagen (connective tissue)
What is collagen
A type of fibrous protein (structural protein). It is a triple helix formed by three proteins that wrap around one another. Many collagen molecules are cross-linked together in the extracellular space to form collagen fibrils to provide structural support for the cell. Elastin polypeptide chains are cross-linked together to form flexible, elastic fibers that give stretched tissues flexibility and the ability to recoil spontaneously as soon as the stretching force is relaxed.
What is a peptide?
A peptide is an amide linkage between the amine group of one amino acid and carboxylic acid group of another.
What is a peptide?
A peptide is an amide linkage between the amine group of one amino acid and carboxylic acid group of another.
Why are peptides stable?
A peptide is an amide linkage between the amine group of one amino acid and carboxylic acid group of another. Amides are stable because they exhibit resonance stabilization between the lone pair on the nitrogen and the double-bond in the carbonyl group
What is physiological pH?
7.4
What happens to a typical protein at physiological pH (charges)?
-1 charge on deprotonated carboxylic acid terminal and a +1 charge on its protonated amino acid amino terminal for a total 0 net charge from its termini.
In general what kind of amino acids have the potential to become positively charged at physiological pH?
Basic amino acids (cationic side chain)
In general what kind of amino acids have the potential to become negatively charged at physiological pH?
Acidic amino acids (anionic side chain)
Inflammatory response, which is marked by increased vasolidation, blood vessel permeability, and paint is classified as what?
A function of the innate immune system
What is the innate immune system?
The innate immune system includes nonspecific immune responses. In other words, its responses provide general protection rather than protection against specific pathogens that have been previously encountered and “remembered.” Inflammation is a function of the innate immune system, as it serves as a general response to infection or injury.
What is adaptive immunity?
Adaptive immunity is directed against particular pathogens to which the body had been previously exposed. These pathogens are “remembered” by specialized cells, leading to a quicker response in the case of a second exposure.
What is passive immunity?
Passive immunity involves the transfer of antibodies from one individual to another.
In eukaryotes, which residues are most prone to phosphorylation?
Serine (S), tyrosine (Y), threonine (T)
What is the function of aldosterone and where/why is it released from?
Aldesterone is released from the adrenal cortex in response to low blood pressure. Its primary funciton is to increase sodium reabsoprtion in the distal tubule and coelcting duct. Aldosterone upregulates the sodium-potassium pumps along the lining of the nephron, pumping three sodium ions OUT of the nephron lining (and toward the blood) for every two potassium ions it pumps IN (toward the nephron and away from the blood).
What process is responsible for cell culture growth and for maintaining genetic integrity between parent cells and daughter cells within a cell culture
Mitosis
Is meiosis cyclical? Is mitosis cylical?
Meiosis in noncyclical and terminates in gamete creation (either sperm cells or ova). It happens once. Mitosis is a cyclical process
What process includes genetic recombination in order to create genetic diversity in offspring?
Meiosis
What aspects separate single-crossover events from double-crossover events?
Single-crossover events affect only the ends of chromosome arms, while double-crossover events can affect segments in the middle of chromosome arms
Which tissues utilize troponin
Skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle
How are the cells of cardiac muscle connected?
Gap junctions (intercalated discs that connect the cytoplasm of adjacent cardiac muscle cells, allowing ions to pass from cell to cell)
Which tissues are striated
Cardiac muscle and smooth muscle
Skeletal muscle is innervated by what? (think type of control)
Somatic nervous system, meaning conscious control
Smooth muscle is innervated by what? (think type of control)
Autonomic nervous system, meaning not voluntary control
What are red fibers and what are their functions?
Red fibers (slow-twitch fibers) are a type of skeletal muscle. They obtain their color from the presence of abundant reserves of myoglobin, and are also rich in mitochondria. This means that they prefer oxidative metabolism, and therefore are present in large quanitities in muscles that specialize in performing less intense actions over a longer period of time
What are white fibers and what are their functions?
White fibers (fast-twitch fibers) lack myoglobin and mitochondria and tend to mobilize glycogen for quick bursts of intense action followed by fatigue.
How are peptide bonds broken?
Hydrolysis
What kind of reaction results in the formation of peptide bonds?
Condensation
In what conformation do peptide bonds usually exist?
Trans
What is Beta-oxidation (process definition)?
Beta-oxidation is a process in which fatty acids are broken down into acetyl-CoA, which can be fed into the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) similar to the effects of glycolysis and the pyruvate dehydrogenation complex. Beta-oxidation also generate the electron carriers NADH and FADH2. The beta carbon of each fatty acid is oxidized to a carbonyl.
How does Beta-oxidation affect the Krebs cycle?
In addition to breaking down fatty acids into acetyl-CoA, beta-oxidation also generates electron carriers NADH and FADH2 which produce energy in teh electron transport chain. The beta carbon of each fatty acid is oxidized to a carbonyl group. It occurs in the mitochondria in eukaryotic cells.
What is the Hardy-Weinberg equation?
The total number of alleles in a population has to add up to 1: A + a = 1
And the total number of genotypes in the population must also add up to 1: AA + 2Aa + aa = 1
For examples, if the frequency of the recesssive autosomal allele for polydactyly is 1.2% then a=.012 and A=.988. Therefore 2Aa = 2 x 0.988 x 0.012
What structure makes up mitotic spindles?
Microtubules