Week 1 Flashcards
Three tenets of the cell theory
- All organisms are composed of one or more cells.
- The cell is the basic unit of life.
- Cells can only arise by division from preexisting cells.
What three things are all living organisms made of?
- Cells
- Stuff produced by cells.
- Stuff assimilated from the environment by cells.
How can cells be considered “containers”?
A single cell contains small molecules and macromolecules enveloped in a lipid bilayer membrane.
What are the two basic cell types?
- Prokaryotes
- Eukaryotes
Give the four essential characteristics of prokaryotes.
- Peptidoglycan cell wall.
- Genome on 1 or 2 chromosomes
- Small cell size
- Single closed compartment
Give the five essential characteristics of eukaryotes.
- Cell wall in plants and fungi, not animals
- Large genome on multiple chromosomes
- Large cell size
- Multiple membrane bound organelles
- Cytoskeleton
What three components make up the complex and dynamic cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells?
- Actin filaments
- Microtubules
- Intermediate filaments
Number of cells in a human
10^13
Number of different cell types in a human
~200 cell types
How can there be different cell types that arise from the same genome? (eg epithelial cells vs neurons)
Cell division and differentiation and different gene expression profiles.
What are the six broad categories of cell type in humans?
- Epithelial cells
- Contractile/muscle cells
- Neurons
- Blood cells
- Sensory cells
- Connective tissue cells
Give two characteristics of enterocytes.
- The brush border increases apical membrane surface area.
- Optimized for nutrient absorption/transport.
What category of cell type are enterocytes?
Epithelial cells
What category of cell type are pancreatic acinar cells?
Epithelial cells
What is the role of pancreatic acinar cells?
These cells are optimized for large-scale regulated secretion.
Four basic types of contractile cells
- Heart muscle cell
- Smooth muscle cell
- Myoepithelial cell
- Skeletal muscle fiber
What is the role of contractile/muscle cells?
These cells are optimized for generating directed mechanical force.
What is the role of neurons?
These cells are optimized for extensive cell-cell connectivity and electrical conductivity.
What do motor neurons control?
Myocyte activity
What two types of cells compose the retina?
- Neurons
- Sensory cells
What is the role of the retina?
The retina is optimized for sensitive, high resolution photo detection.
What is the role of bundles of stereocilia?
Mechanotransduction.
What is the role of connective tissue cells?
These cells are responsible for secretion and maintenance of ECM
A fibroblast is what type of cell?
Connective tissue cell
An osteoblast is what type of cell?
Connective tissue cell optimized for bone matrix production.
How many amino acids compose nearly all of the proteins on earth?
20
What is the central dogma used to describe?
The flow of information from DNA → RNA → Protein
Transcription
Converts information from DNA to RNA.
Translation
Converts information from RNA into proteins
What determines the shape of a protein?
The shape of a protein is primarily determined by its amino acid sequence.
What determines the function of a protein?
The function of a protein is determined by its shape.
Name the three basic amino acids.
Lysine
Arginine
Histidine
Name the four polar amino acids with uncharged R groups.
Serine
Threonine
Asparagine
Glutamine
Name the two acidic amino acids
Aspartic acid
Glutamic acid
Name the three special amino acids
Cysteine
Glycine
Proline
Primary structure
The chain of amino acids covalently linked together
Tertiary structure
How a single polypeptide chain folds in 3D space.
What are the two ends of a polypeptide?
Amino end (N-terminus)
Carboxyl end (C-terminus)
What type of reaction occurs when a peptide covalent bond forms?
A condensation reaction that produces a water molecule.
What effect does hydrolysis have on a peptide bond?
Hydrolysis breaks a peptide bond by adding a water molecule.
What configuration is a peptide bond usually in?
The trans configuration in which the oxygen and hydrogen are opposite each other.
What prevents rotation around the peptide bond?
Resonance in the C=O bond that results in a partial double bond character, thus restricting rotation.
Why does a peptide bond not form under neutral conditions?
There is an energy barrier to forming a peptide bond. Amino acids must be activated to undergo the condensation reaction. Entropically, the formation of a peptide bond is not favorable.
What must occur for the condensation reaction that forms the peptide bond to happen?
Amino acids must be activated. tRNAs get charged with amino acids. Adenosine triphosphate is necessary to add tRNA to an amino acid.
Where does peptide bond formation take place?
The ribosome.
In terms of the two ends of a polypeptide, in what order is the protein synthesized?
Proteins are synthesized from the amino end (N-terminus) to the carboxyl end (C-terminus). They also exit the ribosome in this order.
What are the three main forces that drive protein folding?
Electrostatic attractions
Van der Waals attractions
Hydrogen bonds
Where do hydrogen bonds typically occur?
Between side chains and in backbones
Which amino acid can form covalent bonds?
Covalent bonds (specifically disulfide bonds) can form between cysteine residues in the presence of oxygen.
What is the role of disulfide bonds in a protein?
These bonds hold the tertiary structure of the protein together.
The hydrophobic effect
A protein will fold in a conformation with nonpolar side chains in a hydrophobic core region while polar side chains on the outside form hydrogen bonds to water. This occurs in an aqueous environment.