Unit 2 Terminology Flashcards
Polymer
A long molecule consisting of many similar or identical monomers linked together by covalent bonds
Monomer
The subunit that serves as the building block of a polymer
Enzymes
Protein catalysts
Tuber
A short, thick underground plant stem
Atherosclerosis
A cardiovascular disease in which fatty deposits develop on the inner walls of the arteries, obstructing the arteries and causing them to harden.
Essentail fatty acid
An unsaturated fatty acid the n an animal needs but cannot make.
Catalysts
A chemical agent that selectively increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed by the reaction
Peptide bond
A chemical bond formed between two molecules when the carboxyl group of one molecule reacts with the amino group of the other molecule, releasing a molecule of water
Denaturation
Disruption of the weak internal chemical bonds and interactions causes the proteins to lose its native shape
Gene
A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence
Organelles
Membrane enclosed structures within eukaryotic cells
Cytology
The study of cells
Biochemistry
The study of the chemical processes of cells
Vesicle
A membranous sac in the cytoplasm of a eukaryotic cell
Glycoproteins
Proteins that have carbohydrates covalently boded to them
Lysosome
Membranous sac of hydrolytic enzymes the tan animal cell uses to digest macromolecules
Phagocytosis
Type of endocytosis in which large particles or small organisms are taken up by a cell
Mitochondrion
An organelle in eukaryotic cells where cellular respiration occurs; uses oxygen and synthesizes ATP
Chloroplast
Organelle found in pants and protists that absorb sunlight, using it so synthesize organic compounds from carbon dioxide and water.
Centrosome
Area of cytoplasm that functions as a microtubule-organz
Integrin
A transmembrane receptor protein that interconnects the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton
Plasmodesmata
Open channels through the cell wall that connect the cytoplasm of adjacent plant cells
Selective Permeability
Allows some substances to cross it more easily than others
Amphipathic
Meaning on hydrophilic regions and one hydrophobic region
Aquaporin
A channel protein in the plasma membrane that specifically facilitates the diffusion of free water across the membrane
Diffusion
The movement of molecules of any substance so that they spread out evenly into the available space
Concentration gradient
The region along which the density of a chemical substance increases or decreases
Osmosis
The movement of water across cell membranes and the balance of water between the cell and its environment are crucial to organisms
Passive transport
The diffusion of a substance across a biological membrane with expenditure of energy
Tonicity
The ability of a surrounding solution to cause a cell to gain or lose water
Osmoregulation
Regulation of solute concentrations and water balance by a cell or organism
Tutor pressure
The force directed against a plant cell wall after the influx of water and swelling of the cell due to osmosis
Plasmolysis
A phenomenon in walled cells in which the cytoplasm shrivels and the plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall; occurs when the cell loses water to a hypertonic environment
Facilitated diffusion
The passage of molecules or ions down their electrochemical gradient across a biological membrane with the assistance of specific transmembrane transport protein, requiring no energy expenditure
Membrane Potential
The difference in voltage across a cells plasma membrane due to the differential distribute not ions
Ligand
Any molecule that binds specifically to a receptor site on another molecule
Bioluminescence
Metabolic activity where the organism converts the energy stored in certain organic molecules to light
Metabolism
The totality of an organisms chemical reactions
Metabolic pathway
Begins with a specific molecule, which is then altered in a series of defined steps, resulting in a certain product
Bioenergetics
The study of how energy flows through living organisms
Thermodynamics
The study of the energy transformations that occur in a collection of matter
Entropy
A measure of disorder or randomness
Chemical equilibrium
State in which the rate of the forward reaction equals the rate of the reverse reactions.
Energy coupling
The use of an exergonic process to drive an endergonic one
Catalyst
A chemical agent that selectively increases the rate of a reaction without being consumed by the reaction
Mutation
A change in the nucleotide sequence of an organisms DNA or in the DNA OR RNA of a virus Allosteric regulation
Allosteric Regulation
Any case in which a proteins function at on site is affected by the binding of a regulatory molecule to a separate site
Fermentation
A catabolic process that makes a limited amount of ATP from glucose without an electron transport chain and that produces a characteristic end product, such was ethyl alcohol or lactic acid
Aerobic Respiration
A catabolic pathway for organic molecules, using oxygen as the final electron acceptor in an exe torn transport chain
Glycolysis
A series of reactions that split glucose up into pyruvate
ATP synthase
A complex of several membrane proteins that function make ATP
