Unit 1: Cell Biology Flashcards
What are cells? (Give definition)
The building blocks of life.
What are all living organisms made of? (think small!)
All living organisms are made of cells.
What are the cell types? :o
Animal, plant, fungal(like yeast), and bacterial.
What are the organelles (structures) in an animal cell?
Cell membranes, nucleus, ribosomes, cytoplasm and mitochondria.
What are the organelles (structures) in a plant cell?
Cell wall, cell membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, chloroplast, ribosome, vacuole, and mitochondria.
What are the organelles (structures) of a fungal cell?
Cell wall, cell membrane, nucleus, ribosome, cytoplasm, mitochondria and vacuole.
What are the structures of a bacteria cell?
Cell wall, cell membrane, chromosome, ribosome, cytoplasm and plasmid.
What makes a bacterial cell different from the others? What do they NOT contain?
Organelles; bacterial cells considered way too smol, and call their ‘organelles’ as structures.
How would someone see a cell?
Microscope; this is called ultrastructure.
What organelle/structure is found in all cells?
Cell membrane, cytoplasm, and ribosomes.
What are cell walls consisted/made of? Remember: cell walls are only found in plant, fungal and bacterial.
Plant cells consist of cellulose. Fungal and bacterial are varied in their structure and chemical substances.
Why does a bacterial cell have ‘structures’ but not ‘organelles’?
Cos they’re too smol. (Same)
What is the function of the nucleus?
Contains genetic information (DNA); additionally controls cell activity.
What is a structure only found in the bacterial cell?
Plasmid.
What is the function of the ribosome?
It is the site of protein synthesis.
What is the function of mitochondria?
Provides energy for the cell; to divide, move, and function.
What is mitosis?
Mitosis is the process of cell division.
What are cell membranes consisted/made of?
Proteins and phospholipids.
What is meant by ‘selectively permeable’?
Meaning the membrane that controls the entering and exiting of the cell because of its size. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
What are the five main types of proteins?
Hormones, enzymes, antibodies, structural proteins and receptors
What are enzymes? Give def.
They are biological catalysts.
What are catalysts? (Chemistry nerds sweating this)
Substances which speed up chemical reactions.
What are enzymes?
Biological catalysts and/or protein.
What is the substance that an enzyme reacts to? What is it called?
Substrate.
What is the substance produced after a reaction?
Product(s).
Fill the blanks: Enzymes, Proteins.
All ___ are ____, but not all _____ are _____.
All enzymes are proteins, but not all proteins are enzymes.
Will enzymes use other substrates? Give a reason why/why not.
They only react with a specific substrate. The reason is because they are complementary.
What happens to an enzyme after the reaction? Can they be re-used?
They are unchanged. They are also reusable. Recycle..
Enzymes change after a reaction. T/F?
lol false.
Give an example of a ‘structural protein’?
Nails, hair, skin.
What can enzymes be affected by?
Temperature and pH.
What is meant by optimum?
The best working conditions that an enzyme will work.
What is an active site?
A position in an enzyme which a substrate can bind itself to.
What is meant by specific? When an enzyme is specific?
Each enzyme reacts with a specific (only one) substrate.
Give a protein and name it’s function.
Enzymes: biological catalyst.
Hormones: chemical messengers.
Receptors: allows cells to recognise internal/external surroundings
Structural protein: gives strength/protection.
Antibodies: fights against disease.
What happens to an enzyme when temperature is increased beyond optimum?
Becomes denatured and will stop working.
What is DNA? (Not meaning the full name-)
DNA is the genetic code for making proteins.
What shape is DNA?
Double-stranded helix.
What are the four bases? :))
A, T, C, G
How do the bases like to be paired? And what are they called that makes them that way?
A - T, C - G. They are complementary.
What is meant by complementary? And what makes it different from specific?
Complementary means it is a perfect match. Specific simply just means they only bind with one. (It’s different, okay, seriously.)
The genetic code is provided by the DNA. What are proteins made of though?
Chain of amino acids, in order of the genetic code.
Where are proteins made?
Ribosome.
What is mRNA? Why is it needed?
mRNA meaning Messenger RNA is messenger which carries the genetic coding to a ribosome. It is needed as DNA itself is too large (thicc) to exit the cell.
Bonus hint/tip:
DNA>mRNA>AA=P
Order of DNA bases —> order of mRNA bases —> order of amino acids in proteins.
Bonus hint/tip:
Complementary and specific are commonly mixed up. Know each definition carefully.
What is the base order for mRNA?
A, U, C, G
What is the shape of an RNA?
Single stranded.
What is a gene?
Small section of DNA.
What is diffusion? Give def.
Diffusion is the movement of molecules DOWN a concentration gradient from a HIGHER to LOWER concentration.
Does diffusion require energy?
Nope. It is passive.
What is osmosis? Give def.
Osmosis is the movement of water molecules from a HIGHER water concentration to a LOWER water concentration, through a selectively permeable membrane down a water concentration.
Bonus hint/tip: osmosis
Osmosis only/always happens through a selectively permeable membrane.
Does osmosis require energy?
Nope. It’s a passive movement.
What is meant by passive transport? What makes it different to active? Give def.
Passive transport meaning it requires no energy, and describes movement of molecules from a high to low concentration.
Give examples of passive transport.
Osmosis and diffusion.
What is active transport?
Active transport means it requires energy. It is the movement on molecules from a low to high concentration, against the concentration gradient.
What does active transport require?
Energy (ATP).
What happens to an animal cell when placed in a solution of higher water concentration?
May burst.
What happens to an animal cell when placed in a solution of lower water concentration?
Shrinks.
What happens to an animal cell when placed in a solution of the same water concentration?
Remains the same/unchanged.
What happens to a plant cell when placed in a solution of higher water concentration?
Plant cell becomes turgid.
What happens to a plant cell when placed in a solution of the same water concentration?
Remains unchanged. Nothing happens.
What happens to a plant cell when placed in a solution of lower water concentration?
Becomes plasmolysed.
Can an animal cell be turgid? Or plasmolysed?
No. Such terms are only used to describe plant cells.
What is the concentration gradient? Give def.
The different concentration levels between two solutions/cells/solutions in cells.
What are the subunits for proteins? (Re:w)
Amino acids.
What is genetic engineering? Give def.
Genetic engineering is the transfer of DNA from one organism to another, using biotechnology.
What are the advantages of genetic engineering?
- GM crops/animals could be higher yield and/or better tasting.
- Increase food security for increasing human population.
- Have positive effect on environment, decrease usage of pesticides.
What are the disadvantages of genetic engineering?
- Safety issues.
- Ethnical issues .
- A concern for scientists that we do not know what we are fully tampering with.
What is meant by a donor? Give def.
Organism which the genetic material is obtained from to transfer to the recipient.
What is meant by a recipient?
A cell or organism which receives the genetic material from donor.
What is a vector?
What is used to transfer the genetic material from donor to recipient.
Give an example of a vector.
Plasmid and/or virus.
Products which can be produced by genetic engineering?
Insulin, hormones, antibodies, etc.
Give the steps of the genetic engineering process.
- The location of the gene must be identified
- A specific enzyme is used to extract the required gene.
- Plasmids are then removed from bacterial cells.
- The plasmids are cut open with a specific enzyme.
- The gene is inserted into each plasmid.
- Modified plasmids placed back in bacteria.
- Perfect conditions must be given to bacteria to grow and reproduce.
What is meant by respiration? Give def.
Respiration is the process in which the chemical energy stored in glucose is released.
Where does respiration occur? In plants only? Animals only?
Respiration occurs in all living cells.
What are the types of respiration?
Aerobic and fermentation.
What are the differences between aerobic and fermentation? What does one require and one don’t?
Aerobic needs oxygen, whilst fermentation does not.
What happens in aerobic respiration?
Oxygen is used to breakdown the molecules of glucose.
Give the first step of aerobic respiration. What happens? Where is it taken place?
2ATP molecules is the energy which converts the glucose molecule into pyruvate acid. It is a degradation reaction, and is taken place in the cytoplasm.
Describe the second step of aerobic respiration. What happens? Where is it taken place?
Pyruvate acid —> carbon dioxide+water due to the presence of oxygen. This is taken place in the mitochondria.
What is the word equation for aerobic respiration?
Oxygen + glucose —> carbon dioxide + water + energy
What are the subunits for ATP?
ADP and Pi/inorganic phosphate.
What is fermentation? Give def.
The breakdown of glucose molecules when oxygen is not present.
Give the first step of fermentation. What happens? Where is it taken place?
Glucose is broken down into pyruvate. It is taken place in the cytoplasm.
Describe step two of fermentation in animal cells. Give desc, and word equation.
Pyruvate becomes lactic acid.
Glucose + pyruvate —> lactate
Describe step two of fermentation in plant cells. Give desc, and word equation.
Pyruvate becomes carbon dioxide and ethanol.
Glucose + pyruvate —> carbon dioxide + ethanol
Bonus hint/tip: respiration
Aerobic respiration step one and two for animal/plant cell are the same. Only in fermentation is step one the same, whilst step two for animal/plant cell differ.
What is ethanol?
The alcohol product resulted from fermentation.
