Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

PCAT Biology > Molecular Biology > Flashcards

Molecular Biology Flashcards

1
Q

Metabolism

A

sum of all chemical reactions that occur in the body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Catabolic Reactions

A

break down large chemicals and release energy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Anabolic Reactions

A

build up large chemicals and require energy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Ingestion

A

acquisition of food and other raw materials

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Digestion

A

process of converting food into usable soluble form so that it can pass through membranes in the digestive tract and enter the body

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Absorption

A

passage of nutrient molecules through the lining of the digestive tract into the body proper. absorbed molecules pass through cells lining the digestive tract by diffusion or active transport.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Respiration

A

consumption of oxygen into the body. cells use oxygen to convert glucose to ATP

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Excretion

A

the removal of waste products produced during metabolic processes like respiration and assimilation.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Synthesis

A

creation of complex molecules from simple ones (anabolism)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Regulation

A

control of physiological activities

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Homeostasis

A

maintain internal environment in a changing external environment with regulation of hormones and nervous system

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Irritability

A

the ability to respond to a stimulus and is part of regulation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Growth

A

an increase in size caused by a synthesis of new materials

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Photosynthesis

A

the process by which plants carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrates. sunlight is harnessed by chlorophyll to drive this reaction.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

reproduction

A

generation of additional individuals of a species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Transport

A

the circulation of essential compounds required to nourish the tissues and the removal of waste products from the tissues

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Assimilation

A

the building up of new tissues from digested food materials

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Inorgranic compounds

A

compounds that do not contain carbon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Organic compounds

A

compounds made by living systems and contain carbon

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Carbohydrates

A

composed of the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ration. used as storage forms of energy or as structural molecules. glucose and glycogen store energy in animals, whereas starch stores energy in plants.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Monosaccharide

A

single sugar subunits (glucose and fructose)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Disaccharide

A

two monosaccharide subunits joined by dehydration synthesis (maltose and sucrose)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Dehydration synthesis

A

loss of water molecule

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Polysaccharide

A

polymers formed by removing water (glycogen and starch)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Polymers
chains of repeating monosaccharide subunits
26
Cellulose
polysaccharide that serves a structural role in plants, insoluble in water.
27
Hydrolysis
process of adding water to large polymers to break them down into smaller subunits
28
External Respiration
entrance of air into the lungs and the gas exchange between the alveoli and the blood
29
Internal Respiration
exchange of gas between the blood and the cells and the intracellular process of respiration
30
Dehydrognation
high-energy hydrogen atoms are removed from organic molecules. oxidation reaction.
31
Glycolysis
first stage of glucose catabolism. series of reactions that leads to the oxidative breakdown of glucose into 2 molecules of pyruvate, production of ATP, reduction of NAD+ into NADH. occurs in cytoplasm.
32
Glycolysis net reaction
Glucose + 2 ADP + 2 Pi + 2NAD+ --------\> 2 Pyruvate + 2ATP + 2NADH + 2H+ + 2H2O
33
Substrate Level Phosporylation
ATP synthesis is directly coupled with the degradation of glucose without the participation of an intermediate molecule. degradation of one glucose yields net of 2 ATP from glycolysis and one ATP for each turn of the Kreb's Cycle (four in total)
34
Fermentation
anaerobic conditions of glycolysis producing ethanol or lactic acid
35
Alcohol Fermenation
only occurs in yeast and some bacteria. pyruvate is converted to ethanol.
36
Lactic Acid Fermentation
occurs in certain fungi, bacteria, and in human muscles cells during strenuous activity. when oxygen supply to muscle cells lags behind the rate of glucose catabolism
37
Cellular Respiration
most efficient catabolic pathway used by organisms to harvest the energy stored in glucose. yields 36-38 ATP. aerobic process and occurs in eukaryotic mitochondrion. 3 stages.
38
Pyruvate Decarboxylation
during cellular respiration the pyruvate is transported from the cytoplasm into the mitochondrial matrix where it loses a CO2, and the acetyl group that remains is transferred to coenzyme A to form acetyl-CoA.
39
Citric Acid Cycle/Kreb's Cycle
chemical reaction used by all aerobic organisms to produce energy.
40
Kreb's Cycle Net Reaction
2 acetyl-CoA + 6NADH+ + 2FAD + 2GDP+ 2Pi + 4H2O -----\> 4CO2 + 6NADH + 2FADH2 + 2GTP + 2H+ + 2CoA
41
Electron Transport Chain
complex carrier mechanism located on the inside of the inner mitochondrial membrane.
42
Cytochromes
electron carriers that resemble hemoglobin in the structure of their active site. functional unit contains a central iron atom that is capable of reducing or oxidizing
43
Oxidative Phosporylation
process that accounts for 90% of ATP used by body
44
Other Energy Sources
when glucose supplies run low body uses other carbohydrates, fats, and proteins
45
Carbohydrates (Alt Energy)
disaccharides are hydrolyzed into monosaccharides - these can be converted into glucose or glycolytic intermediates. glycogen stored in the liver can be converted into a glycolytic intermediate
46
Fats (Alt Energy)
triglycerides stored in adipose tissue are hydrolyzed by lipases to fatty acids and glycerol. fats yield the greatest number of ATP per gram
47
Proteins (Alt Energy)
last macromolecule to degrade for energy when carbs or fat not available.
48
Transamination Reactoin
amino acid loses amino group to form an a-keto acid
49
Oxidative Deamination
removes one ammonia molecule directly from amino acid. this ammonia excreted by vertebrates
50
Enzymes
organic catalysts that affect the rate of chemical reaction without being changed. regulate metabolism by speeding and slowing down reactions. they do not alter equilibrium constant. pH and temperature sensitive. protein or conjugated protein based.
51
Coenzyme
nonprotein component of enzyme that must be present for enzyme to function. not all enzymes have a coenzyme.
52
Substrate
molecule upon which an enzyme acts
53
Active Site
area on each enzyme to which the substrate binds
54
Enzyme-Catalyzed Reactions
most are reversible - product can be decomposed
55
Lock & Key Theory
spatial structure of an enzyme's active site is exactly complementary to spatial structure of substrate. theory is now largely discounted.
56
Induced Fit Theory
active site of enzyme has flexibility to accept substrate.
57
Enzyme Specificity
enzyme action and reaction rate depend on several environmental factors (temperature, pH and concentration). optimal temp is around 40C, optimal pH is around 7.2 for most enzymes
58
Competitive Inhibition
possible for molecules similar to substrate to bind to active site. substrate can overtake competitor, but it requires much higher concentration of substrate than usual.
59
Noncompetitive Inhibition
substance that forms strong covalent bond with enzyme and prevents it from binding with substrate. irreversible
60
Allosteric Inhibition
noncompetitive inhibitor binds anywhere but the active site thus changing the structure of the enzyme and the active site.
61
Hydrolysis
digest large molecules into smaller components (lactase, protease, lipase)
62
Lactase
hydrolyzes lactose to the monosaccharides glucose and galactose
63
Protease
degrade proteins to amino acids
64
Lipases
break down lipids to fatty acids and glycerol
65
Synthesis
can be catalyzed by same enzymes as hydrolysis reactions, but reactions are reversed. required for growth, repair, regulation, protection, production.
66
Prosthetic Groups
cofactors that bind to the enzyme by strong covalent bonds.

PCAT Biology (4 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions