Study Flashcards
Characteristics of Life
o Movement
o Metabolism
o Reproduction
o Response to environment
Cell Theory
- All organisms are composed of one or more cells (Schwann, Schleiden)
- The cell is the structural and functional unit of life (Schwann, Schleiden)
- Cells can arise only by division from a preexisting cell (Virchow)
Organic molecules
C,H,N,O,P,S: covalently linked molecules)
Spontaneous synthesis of organic molecules probably provided the basic materials (Miller experiment)
Molecules for cataly
RNA is only molecule able to both catalyze chemical reactions (ribozyme), and self-replicate (nucleotide base pairing)
RNA: likely the first genetic material in an early stage of chemical evolution leading to formation of primitive cells
Prokaryotic cells:
: lack a nuclear envelope.
o Eukaryotic cells
: have a nucleus
Genetic material is separated from the cytoplasm
Eukaryotic cells contain a variety of membrane-enclosed organelles within their cytoplasm
Allows for compartmentalization of structure and function
Yeasts
the simplest eukaryotes (unicellular); more complex than bacteria, smaller and simpler than cells of animals or plants.
Epithelial
form sheets that cover the surface of the body and line the internal organs.
Specialized for protection, secretion, absorption
• Bright-field microscopy
o Requires fixation (killing) of cells/tissues, cutting a thin cross section of tissue, and a variety of stains to provide contrast between subcellular organelles in order to visualize.
• Phase-contrast and differential interference contrast microscopy
: optical systems that convert variations in density or thickness into contrast that can be seen in the final image without staining.
o Allows visualization of live cells
• Fluorescence microscopy
widely used and very sensitive method to study intracellular distribution of molecules.
o Fluorescent markers, dyes and proteins (eg. green fluorescent protein (GFP)) used to visualize proteins/structures in living cells.
• Confocal microscopy
specialized form of fluorescent microscopy, allows for focus on a single plane in the specimen.
o Provides a much sharper image
o Multiple images can then be reconstructed into a 3-dimensional image
• Transmission electron microscopy
passes a beam of electrons through a thinly sliced, fixed specimen to form an image on a fluorescent screen.
• Scanning electron microscopy
electron beam reflects off sample surface that is coated with metal, providing 3-dimensional surface image
• Nucleosides
are a nitrogenous base linked to the ribose or deoxyribose sugar
• Nucleotides
also contain the phosphate group, and are the basic building block of RNA and DNA
Nuclear envelope
- consists of two phospholipid bilayer membranes, an underlying nuclear lamina (protein framework), and nuclear pore complexes. Separates the contents of the nucleus from the cytoplasm
- The outer membrane is continuous with the endoplasmic reticulum. It is enriched in membrane proteins that bind the cytoskeleton.
- The inner membrane has proteins that bind the nuclear lamina.
Nuclear pore complex
- selectively control the traffic of polar molecules, ions, and macromolecules through nuclear envelope. Significantly different from typical membrane proteins.
- Are very large and complex structures – 30x the size of a ribosome
- In vertebrates multiple copies of 30 different pore proteins called nucleoporins
- Organized into 8 spokes surrounding a central channel. The spokes are connected to protein rings at both the cytoplasmic and nuclear side
- The assembly is anchored at fusion points between the outer and inner nuclear membranes
Nucleolus
- the nuclear site of rRNA transcription, rRNA processing and ribosome assembly
- Large numbers of ribosomes (about 10 million per mammalian cell) are needed by the cell, therefore the nucleolus appears dark due to the large amount of transcriptional activity
Gregor Mendel
deduced the classical principles of genetics based on the results of breeding experiments with peas.
The central dogma
REPLICATION thenTRANSCRIPTION thenTRANSLATION
Codons
the basic units of the genetic code
Proteomics
the large-scale analysis of cell proteins.
A proteome is all the proteins expressed in a given cell
Proteins function by interacting with other proteins in protein complexes and networks.
Genomics
complete sequence of the human genome
Gene
• Structurally, a gene is a segment of DNA within a chromosome that is expressed to yield a functional product (small % of genome, approximately 21,000 genes in humans)
o Most genes encode mRNAs that are subsequently translated into proteins by ribosomes, but some genes also encode regulatory and structural RNAs
o Exons
are segments of protein-coding sequence [and 5’ and 3’- untranslated regions (UTRs)].
• Only 10% (on average) of a typical genes sequence is exons (RNA-coding region)
• Barely 1% of the human genome is exons that actually contain the genetic code sequences that encode proteins
o Introns (intervening sequences)
(intervening sequences) are segments of non-protein-coding sequences.
Make up the majority of a genes RNA-coding region in most genes of higher eukaryotic organisms (~35% of human genome)
Can also encode functional products (using nested genes), which may either be proteins or non-functional RNAs
• 150 nested genes have been found in the human genome
o RNA splicing
the joining of exons in a precursor mRNA molecule
micro RNAs
fold into hairpin structures that are cleaved by nucleases (Dicer) and become double stranded. This is recognized by a RNA-induced silencing complex (RISC) which facilitates RNA degradation thereby inhibiting translation
long non-coding RNAs
approximately 50,000 have been found (more than the number of protein coding genes) and their expression is tissue specific.
satellite DNA
Small sequences organized in tandem arrays that are repeated millions of times in the genome (used for DNA fingerprinting and finding selectable markers for plant breeding)
Transposons:
DNA elements which are capable of moving to different sites in the DNA
Retrotransposons
transposition is mediated by reverse transcription (sequence is transcribed to RNA then back to DNA then integrated)
DNA transposons
elements are copied and reinserted as DNA
How do transposons affect the cell?
o Directly contributes to the evolution of a species through evolution of new genes, but it’s not all positive
o Diseases such as hemophilia, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and inheritable cancers have been linked to retrotransposons
Pseudogenes
non-functional gene copies; have been inactivated by gene mutations and are evolutionary relics
Chromatin
eukaryotic chromosomal DNA complexed with proteins, typically has about twice as much protein as DNA.
Two main types: Euchromatin, Heterochromatin
Euchromatin
decondensed, transcriptionally active interphase chromatin (usually as 10 and 30 nm fibers, or slightly more condensed).
Heterochromatin
highly condensed, transcriptionally inactive chromatin, and it contains highly repeated DNA sequences
DNA is 10,000x more condense in metaphase of mitosis than in interphase
Nucleosomes
the basic structural units of chromatin and consist of DNA + histones (chromatosomes + linker)
Chromatosome
166 bp + histone H1 (a “linker” histone)
o Nucleosome core particles
contain 147 base pairs of DNA wrapped around an octamer (8) consisting of two molecules each of histones H2A, H2B, H3, and H4.
Histones
small proteins containing a high proportion of the basic (positive) amino acids, arginine and lysine, which helps facilitate binding to the negatively charged DNA sugar-phosphate backbone.
o H1, H2A, H2B, H3, H4
o Very abundant cellular proteins (total mass approx. equal to mass of cellular DNA)
Histone modifications
regulate gene transcription.
o Acetylation of specific lysine groups on the amino tails of histone proteins, neutralize the positive charge of those lysines. This relaxes the chromatin structure (converting heterochromatin into euchromatin) and allows for DNA sequences to be accessible for transcription.