Module 1A - Cells and Genomes Flashcards
The study of structure, function, and behavior of cells
Cell biology
Despite the apparent diversity, all living things are ________ inside
Similar
Process in which structures are generated but without the same link between parents’ peculiarities and the peculiarities of the off spring.
Heredity
All living cells on Earth store their hereditary information in?
DNA
DNA’s are
long, unbranched polymer chains formed with the same 4 monomers.
All cells replicate their hereditary information by:
Template Polymerization
What is the building block of DNA?
Nucleotide
DNA Replication is?
Semi-conservative
All cells transcribe portions of their DNA into what Intermediary form?
RNA
DNA expresses it information by the production of two other key classes of polymers. Theses polymers are:
Proteins and RNA
Transcription is:
DNA to RNA
Translation is:
RNA to Proteins
What monomer changes when DNA is transcribed into RNA?
Thymine changes into Uracil.
RNA molecules have distinct structures that give them:
Specialized chemical capabilities
Amino acids are monomers that build the protein structure. How many are those amino acids?
20 amino acids
All cells use proteins as?
Catalysts
A living cell is a cell-replicating:
Collection of catalysts
What is the basis of a specific function a protein molecule performs?
Sequence of the amino acids
The proteins function is encoded by a specific?
Gene
A segment of DNA sequence that corresponds to a specific protein, alternative protein variants, a single catalytic regulatory, or the structure of an RNA molecule?
Gene
The expressions of individual genes are regulated by:
Regulatory DNA
Each cell is enclosed in a:
Plasma Membrane
Why is the plasma membrane considered as selective barrier?
It regulates the movement of molecules in and out of the cell.
What is the characteristic of the plasma membrane that allows it to have a polar (hydrophilic) and a non-polar (hydrophobic) sides?
Amphiphilic
What types of proteins largely determines which molecules can enter the cell?
Membrane Transport Proteins
What is the minimum amount of genes required for a viable living cell to exist?
Not less than 300
Mycoplasma genitalium has 530 genes, how many genes are essential?
400 genes
Organisms that feed on other living things or the organic chemicals that they produce.
Organotrophic
Organisms that feed on sunlight (e.g. plants)
Phototrophic
Organisms that feeds on rock.
Lithotrophic
What are the six elements that compose DNA, RNA, and proteins?
Hydrogen, Oxygen, Sulfur, Carbon, Phosphorus, Nitrogen
Cells that live independently, or in loosely organized communities rather than as multicellular organisms.
Prokaryotic Cells
What are the three primary branches of the tree of life?
Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukaryotes
How did the first eukaryotic cell formed based on the recent detailed genome analysis?
An ancient archaeal cell engulfed an ancient bacterium.
What are the two distinct groups that prokaryotes comprise with?
Bacteria and Archaea
Evolution of organisms are caused by:
Mutation and Natural Selection
Promotes an advantage for the better or causes serious damage to the organism.
Alterations of nucleotide sequence
Bacteria and Archaea comprises about ________ genes.
1000-6000
Four modes of genetic innovation.
- Intragenic Mutation
- Gene Duplication
- DNA segment shuffling
- Horizontal Gene Transfer
Genes that are related by descent
Orthologs
Genes that are related as a result from a gene duplication event (one set of gene diverted from the other)
Paralogs
Movement of genetic material between organisms that are unrelated or not direct descendants of each other.
Horizontal Gene Transfer
The analysis of gene function depends on what two complementary scientific approaches?
Genetics and Biochemistry
Genetics is the study of:
Mutants
Studies the function of molecules
Biochemistry
What bacteria prompted the beginning of Molecular Biology?
E. Coli (Escherichia coli)
Eukaryotic cells store their genetic information within their:
Nucleus
The early eukaryotic cells may have originated as:
Predators
Originally a free living, oxygen metabolizing (aerobic) bacteria that was engulfed by an ancestral cell.
Mitochondria
Along with mitochondria, a free living, symbiotic photosynthetic bacteria was also consumed and evolved as an organelle that provides energy to eukaryotic cells. What is this organelle?
Chloroplast
Plant cells lost their ability to do phagocytosis due to having a:
Tough protective cell wall
How many percent of the human genome does not code for proteins?
98.5%
How many percent of E. coli genome does not code for proteins?
11%
what is the approximate number of human genes?
30,000
Function of regulatory DNA.
Regulate the expression of adjacent genes
Binds directly or indirectly to the regulatory DNA that are adjacent to the genes that are to be controlled or interferes with the ability of other proteins to do so.
Transcription Regulators
Protozoa’s were termed:
Hunters
Unicellular algae were termed:
Photosynthesizer
Unicellular fungi or yeast were termed:
Scavengers
Serves as a minimal model eukaryote (e.g. Saccharomyces cerevisiae)
Yeast
Animal Cells is represented by which organisms?
Fly, Mouse, Worm, Zebrafish, and Human
The predominant mammalian model organism
Mouse
Studies conducted in this species provided a key to Vertebrate development (proved that genes are carried on chromosomes).
Fruit Fly (Drosopila melanogaster)
Human and elephants share how much percent of identical amino acids?
85%
The only species that catalogs their own genetic disorders:
Humans (Homo sapiens)
Humans and Birds share about ___% of identical amino acids
70%
“The key to every biological problem must finally be
sought in the cell; for every living organism is, or at some time has been, a cell”
E.B. Wilson
Field of science that studies cell structure, function, and behavior.
Cell biology
Formation of orderly structures but without the same type of link between the parents peculiarities and the offspring’s peculiarities.
Heredity
The form where all living cells on Earth store their hereditary information.
DNA (Deoxyribose nucleic acid)
Replication of hereditary information are done by:
Template polymerization/DNA replication
The 4(four) bases that makes up the DNA
- Adenine
- Guanine
- Cytosine
- Thymine
Parts of a nucleotide
Sugar (deoxyribose), a phosphate group, and nitrogenous base
A type of RNA that guides the synthesis of proteins according to the genetic instruction stored within the DNA.
Messenger RNA (mRNA)
Allows RNA to recognize other molecules through selective binding.
The shape of the RNA
Proteins carry information in the form of:
Linear sequence of symbols
Each molecule of protein is a:
Polypeptide
The greatest biochemical diversity exists among what type of cells?
Prokaryotic Cells
Characteristics of a prokaryotic cell:
Small genomes, closely packed genes, and minimal quantities of regulatory DNA.
An organism that is capable of capturing non-viral DNA molecules from the environment, thereby captures the genetic information.
Bacteriophages
Gene function is determined by the:
Gene sequence
Eukaryotic cells are __ times bigger in dimension and _____ times larger in volume in comparison to prokaryotic cells.
10, 1000
Structure that maintains the shape and internal organization of organelles of a eukaryotic cell.
Cytoskeleton
What species was chosen as a model for plant cells?
Thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana)
Almost every gene in the vertebrate genome has:
Paralogs
Organisms that were use as models for vertebrate development:
Frog & Zebrafish