1.3 Cells Review Flashcards
(32 cards)
What are the similarities among living cells?
Structural features
-all cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane
-all cells has genetic information nucleic acids to transfer heritable information from one generation to the next)
-metabolic processall living cells produce ATP and
use its energy to drive metabolic processes.)
-Genetic process All living things use ribosomes and transfer RNA
molecules during the conversion of the DNA code to protein)
-signaling all living things use small ions, like calcium, for communication purposes).
How is bacteria classified?
Genetic information. shape ( spheres, rod shapes, and spiral bacteria) and their affinity to take up certain diagnostic stains.
What is a cytoskeleton?
The cytoskeleton is a system of protein filaments (actin filaments (microfilaments),
microtubules, inermediate filaments) in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells that give a cell the
shape and the capacity for movement.
How many? (3 types) the actin microfilament system, the
intermediate filament system that has larger filaments than actin, and microtubules which are the
largest filaments in cells term of their diameter
What does amphipathic mean? What kind of molecules are ampiphatic?
- LIPIDS
- It has dual solubility/two domains
The domain that’s called the head, is polar, meaning that the atoms which make up
this domain don’t share electrons freely between them. The imbalance creates regions of positive
and negative charge, which then interacts with water, which is also positively and negatively
charged. Therefore, the head of a lipid molecule is soluble in water, a characteristic known as
hydrophilic. Lipids also have a number of tail regions which are nonpolar, there can be one or
several. Tails are made up of long chains of carbon, linked together by single or double bonds
and the remaining bonds are made with hydrogen. The lipid tails are therefore hydrocarbons.
What is the difference between unsaturated and saturated lipids?
If
every bond possible is made with a hydrogen atom, the molecule is said to be saturated.
However, if some of the carbon-carbon bonds are double bonds, a region with fewer linked
hydrogens is created and the molecule is then said to be unsaturated.
What are the three most common lipids? p
phosphoglycerids, sphingolipids and sterols.
What are glycolipids?
Glycolipids are
molecules created by linking a carbohydrate molecule to the polar head group of a lipid. Coat nerve cells
How are phosphoglycerides distinguished?
by their head groups (choline vs, ethanolamine, vs serine)
-phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidyl-serine and phosphatidyl-ethanolamine
Which phosphoglyceride has the only negative side?
Phosphotadyl-serine
Why two phosphoglycerides are found in the cytosolic side of a cell?
phosphptadyl-serine and phospho-ethanolamine
Which phosphoglyceride is found mostly on extracellylar face of cell?
phosphatidyl-choline
Why do the cytosolic face of a cell membranes tend to be negatively charged?
b/c phosphotadyl-serine the only lipid with a negative charge tends to be on the cytosolic face in healthy cells. becomes exoplasmic when it dies.
How are sphingosine fomred? Which one is the most common?
Sphingosine is built by the addition of the amino acid serine, to a 15 carbon unsaturated fatty
acid chain. One of the most common sphingolipids is sphingomyelin, which is abundant in the
myelin membranes surrounding nerve cell processes.
Why do several types of structures
form spontaneously from mixtures of lipids and water? What kind of structures form?
-Because the hydrocarbon tail of lipids is excluded from water
-If a chamber is experimentally created
with two aqueous compartments, lipids will form a bilayer between them, in which polar head
groups face each compartment and the tails are all facing each other
-Small, spherical arrays of lipids can also be formed spontaneously and these are called
micelles. they are formed most easily by lipids having only one
hydrocarbon tail.
-liposomes
Why is flip-flop of lipids rare?
because this would involve moving the polar head group of a lipid through
the nonpolar region occupied by the hydrocarbon tails
What three factors that can affect the fluidity of biological
membranes?
- Temperature (low = gel-like and high= fluid like). Phase transition temperature (Tm) temp at whic half of the membrane is in the gel phase or half of the membrane is in the fluid phase.
- unsaturated vs saturated (double bonds vs single bonds). Length
- Abundance of sterols
at temperatures where a membrane is fluid what does cholesterol do the the membrane fluidity?
At temperatures where
a membrane is fluid, cholesterol reduces membrane fluidity because it counteracts the effect of
the unsaturated hydrocarbon tail. However, because the rigid sterol ring structure inhibits close
contact of lipids, cholesterol can also prevent gelling of membranes and therefore the addition of
cholesterol actually lowers the phase transition temperature of a membrane.
How are lipids rafts produced?
functionally specialized domain are lipid rafts. adding the addition of one part cholesterol to a homogeneous cell
What is the dual role of cholesterole?
Membranes are less permeable
-Membranes are less fluid at high temps, but also gel at lower temps
What is glycosylation?
mono or poly
saccharides are added to the lipid. In animal cells, these glycolipids are modifications of
sphingosine.
how are Gangliosides formed?
formed by linking sphingosine to a more complex polysaccharide. One or more of the polysaccharide units is always a sialic acid in gangliosides.
How can proteins interact with membranes?
Integral proteins: transmembrane proteins (hydrophobic interactions attach it to membrane)
Anchored proteins: cytosolic and non-cytosolic (attached through covalent attachment to glycolipids)
Peripheral proteins: cytosolic and non-cytosolic ( loosely
attached, either to the lipid membrane surface or to another more tightly associated protein)
Channel forming proteins are usually what kind of protein?
Integral/transmembrane
beta barrels and
they allow regulated movement of material through a pore that’s in the middle of the barrel
y, proteins found on the outside of cells are frequently
found attached to what lipid?
GPI (GPI link)