definition for unit 1

Question 1

What is IEP?

Answer 1

The pH at which a soluble protein has no net charge and will precipitate out of
solution.

Question 2

What are monoclonal antibodies?

Answer 2

Stocks of antibodies with the same specificity.

Question 3

What is aseptic technique?

Answer 3

The sterilisation of equipment and culture media by heat or chemical means and subsequent exclusion of microbial contaminants.

Question 4

What are growth factors?

Answer 4

Proteins that promote cell
growth and proliferation. They are essential for the culture of most animal cells.

Question 5

What is the proteome?

Answer 5

The entire set of proteins
expressed by a genome.

Question 6

What is the endoplasmic reticulum?

Answer 6

A network of membrane tubules continuous with the nuclear membrane.

Question 7

What is the Golgi apparatus?

Answer 7

A series of flattened membrane discs.

Question 8

What are lysosomes?

Answer 8

Membrane-bound organelles containing a variety of hydrolases that digest proteins, lipids, nucleic acids and
carbohydrates.

Question 9

What is a signal sequence?

Answer 9

A short stretch of amino
acids at one end of the polypeptide that determines the eventual location of a protein in a cell.

Question 10

What are proteins?

Answer 10

Polymers of amino acid monomers

Question 11

What is the primary structure?

Answer 11

The sequence in which the amino acids are synthesised into the polypeptide.

Question 12

What are disulfide bridges?

Answer 12

Covalent bonds between
R groups containing sulfur.

Question 13

What is a prosthetic group?

Answer 13

A non-protein unit tightly bound to a protein and necessary for its function.

Question 14

What is a ligand?

Answer 14

A substance that can bind to a protein.

Question 15

What is the phospholipid bilayer?

Answer 15

A barrier to ions and most uncharged polar molecules.

Question 16

What is facilitated diffusion?

Answer 16

The passive transport
of substances across the membrane through specific transmembrane proteins.

Question 17

What are channels?

Answer 17

Multi-subunit proteins with the subunits arranged to form water-filled pores
that extend across the membrane.

Question 18

What is a membrane potential?

Answer 18

When there is a difference in electrical charge on the two sides of the membrane.

Question 19

What are receptor molecules of target molecules?

Answer 19

Proteins with a binding site for a specific signal molecule.

Question 20

What are transcription factors?

Answer 20

Proteins that when bound to DNA can either stimulate or inhibit initiation of transcription.

Question 21

What is resting membrane potential?

Answer 21

A state where there is no net flow of ions across the
membrane.

Question 22

What is an action potential?

Answer 22

A wave of electrical excitation along a neuron’s plasma membrane.

Question 23

What is depolarisation?

Answer 23

A change in the membrane
potential to a less negative value inside.

Question 24

What is the retina?

Answer 24

The area within the eye that
detects light and contains two types of photoreceptor cells: rods and cones.

Question 25

What are microtubules?

Answer 25

Hollow cylinders composed
of the protein tubulin.

Question 26

What are checkpoints?

Answer 26

Mechanisms within the cell
that assess the condition of the cell during the cell cycle and halt progression to the next phase until certain requirements are met.

Question 27

What is a proto-oncogene?

Answer 27

A normal gene, usually
involved in the control of cell growth or division, which can mutate to form a tumour promoting oncogene.