Unit 1 - Proteins Flashcards
What is the proteome?
The entire set of proteins expressed by a genome.
How can the proteome be larger than the number of genes?
More than one protein can be produced from
a single gene as a result of alternative RNA
splicing.
What are genes that do not code for proteins called?
Non-coding RNA genes.
What do genes that do not code for proteins do?
They are transcribed to produce tRNA,
rRNA, and RNA molecules that control the
expression of other genes.
Giver 4 examples of factors affecting the set of proteins expressed by a given cell type.
Metabolic activity of the cell, cellular stress,
the response to signalling molecules, and
diseased versus healthy cells.
What do eukaryotic cells have that increases the total area of their membrane?
System of internal membranes.
Why can’t the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells carry out all the vital functions of membranes?
Because of their size, eukaryotes have quite a small surface area to volume ratio so the plasma membrane is too small to carry out all of the vital functions of membranes.
What is the endoplasmic reticulum?
Network of membrane tubules connected to the nuclear membrane.
What is the golgi apparatus?
A series of flattened membrane discs.
What are lysosomes?
Membrane-bound organelles containing a variety of hydrolases that digest proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and carbohydrates.
What do vesicles do?
Transport materials between membrane compartments.
What is the difference between the rough endoplasmic reticulum and the smooth endoplasmic reticulum?
Rough ER (RER) has ribosomes on its cytosolic face while smooth ER (SER) does not.
Where are lipids synthesised?
Synthesised in the smooth endoplasmic reticulum and inserted into its membrane.
Where does the synthesis of all proteins begin?
Cytosolic ribosomes.
Where is the synthesis of cytosolic proteins completed and where do these proteins end up?
Synthesis is completed in cytosolic ribosomes and proteins remain in the cytosol.
Give two examples of secreted proteins.
Peptide hormones and digestive enzymes.
What is the first step in the secretory pathway?
Secreted proteins are translated in ribosomes
on the RER and enter its lumen.
What happens in the secretory pathway after the secreted protein enters the lumen of the RER?
The proteins move through the Golgi apparatus and are then packaged into secretory vesicles. These vesicles move to and fuse with the plasma membrane, releasing the proteins out of the cell.
What happens if a secreted protein is synthesised as an inactive precursor?
Undergoes proteolytic cleavage to produce an active protein.
Give one example of a secreted protein that requires proteolytic cleavage to become active.
Digestive enzymes
What type of bond are amino acids linked by?
Peptide bond.