Theme 1- Module 1 Flashcards
What’s so special about prokaryotic cells?
They do not contain a true nucleus
Do we have more eukaryotic cells or prokaryotic cells in our bodies?
Prokaryotic
What is the microbiome?
Population of microbes in our body
Do microbiomes contain only prok cells?
No also small eukaryotic cells
What does Strep. Salivarius do and where is it found?
Upper respiratory tract + oral cavity
Forms dental plaque
Colonize newborns germfree oral cavity and GI tract
What does Staph. Haemo do and where is it found?
When it’s on the skin it’s harmless
When it’s in the body it’s pathogenic
What does Bacteroides thetaiot. do and where is it found?
Intestines
Forms enzymes that breakdown ingested plant material
Define a cell
Membrane bound structure with macromolecules
What are the macromolecules?
Nucleic acids
Proteins
Polysaccharides
Phospholipids
What is the function of proteins?
Structure
Metabolic activities (enzymes, ribosome)
Do polysaccharides contribute to structural functions?
Yes
Are the tails of a lipid hydrophilic or hydrophobic? Polar or non polar?
Hydrophobic
Non polar
Phospholipids are amphipathic. What does that mean?
Have both hydrophobic and philic parts
Describe the structure of the fatty acid chains at the end of a phospholipid molecule.
16 or 18 carbons in a chain
Single or double bonds
Are single bonds saturated or unsaturated? Why is this important?
Saturated
The bond types change the shape and behaviours of the phospholipid and thus the membrane
True or false: Phospholipids are the only types of lipids found in cell membranes. If false, state the other lipids
False
Steroids
Describe the structure of steroids and give an example
4 hydrocarbon ring
Hydrophilic head
Phobic tails
Cholesterol
True or false: phospholipids only form lipid bilayers. If false, state what other structures they form
False
Can aggregate and form micelles
Do micelles need energy to form?
No
What role do micelles play in the human body?
Absorption of fat soluble vitamins and complex lipids
True or false: phospholipids are not stationary. Explain
True
Membranes are fluid
How do phospholipids typically move within membranes
Laterally within one layer
CANNOT flip from one layer to the other tho with a lot of energy
What are the 4 factors affecting the fluidity of membranes?
Number of carbons in the fatty acid tail
Unsat or sat fatty acids
Temperature (or other environmental factors)
Presence or absence of cholesterol/steroids
If there were 18 carbons in the carbon chain rather than 16, how would that change the membrane?
Longer chains pack together tighter and reduce fluidity
If there were double bonds in the carbon chain, how would that affect the structure and function?
Produce kinks
Push neighbouring phospholipids further apart
Increase fluidity
Affect permeability
What affect does temp have on the membrane?
High temp = more fluid
Low temp = less
Do cold adapted organisms have more unsat or sat phospholipids? Why?
Unsat
Maintain fluidity
What affect does chloresterol have on fluidity at normal temperatures? Why is this important?
Steroids pack closely to neighbouring phospholipids
Constrain fluidity (JUST phospholipids = TOO much fluidity)
Why are steroids important for fluidity at lower temperatures?
Phospholipids solidify at low temps
Cholesterol maintain fluidity by keeping apart
Is fluidity consistent throughout the entire membrane? Give an example of a domain that might be different
No
Lipid rafts