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Biology I > Cell Structure and Function > Flashcards

Cell Structure and Function Flashcards

(72 cards)

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1
Q

What are the four structural characteristics common to all cells?

A

Cell membrane, genetic material (typically DNA), ribosomes, and cytoplasm

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2
Q

List three structural differences between bacteria and eukaryotic cells

A

Bacterial cells lack a nuclear envelope and other membrane-bound organelles while eukaryotic cells have a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles; bacterial cells have circular chromosomes while eukaryotic cells typically have linear chromosomes; bacterial cells are much smaller than eukaryotic cells on average

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3
Q

Bacterial Cell Wall

A

Composed of peptidoglycan, protect the bacteria from the outside environment, and mediate interaction between other bacteria

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4
Q

Bacterial Chromosome

A

Singular, circular, double-stranded DNA molecule

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5
Q

Plasmids

A

Smaller rings of independently replicating DNA molecules

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6
Q

Ribosomes

A

Complexes made of ribosomal RNAs and proteins that carry out protein synthesis

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7
Q

Pili

A

Appendages that pull two cells together prior to DNA transfer from one cell to another

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8
Q

Fimbriae

A

Hairlike appendages used by some prokaryotes to stick to their substrate or to one another

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9
Q

Capsule

A

Sticky layer of polysaccharides or proteins surrounding the cell wall of many proteins

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10
Q

Gram-Negative Bacteria

A

Have less peptidoglycan in their cell wall and a second outer membrane that contains lipopolysaccharides

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11
Q

Gram-Positive Bacteria

A

Have simple cell walls composed of a thick layer of peptidoglycan

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12
Q

Why would penicillin be ineffective against gram-negative bacteria?

A

It cannot get past the outer membrane to inhibit the enzyme that builds the cell wall

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13
Q

How does penicillin function?

A

It inhibits the enzyme that cross-links peptides and carbohydrates to form a bacteria’s peptidoglycan cell wall

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14
Q

How does tetracycline function?

A

It targets bacterial ribosomes by preventing protein synthesis

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15
Q

What’s the role of antibiotics in the organisms that produce them?

A

They remove competition by killing off similar nearby organisms

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16
Q

Why doesn’t penicillin harm human cells?

A

Penicillin fails to harm human cells because eukaryotic cells do not have peptidoglycan cell walls

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17
Q

Why doesn’t tetracycline harm human cells?

A

Tetracycline fails to affect our ribosomes because of ribosomes have nucleotide sequence that is different from those of bacteria

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18
Q

What events lead to the likelihood of antibacterial resistance?

A

When antibiotics are used, only the antibacterial resistant bacteria remain, which can then multiply and also spread resistant genes (R Plasmids) to non-resistant bacteria through conjugation

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19
Q

Are there more prokaryotic or eukaryotic organisms?

A

Prokaryotic

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20
Q

Do prokaryotic or eukaryotic organisms represent more biomass?

A

Eukaryotic

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21
Q

Why have bacteria been so successful on Earth?

A

Bacteria have evolved diverse metabolisms that have allowed to survive in almost all of the habitats found on earth; they also reproduce quickly and can share genes during conjugation, allowing for relatively rapid evolution in response to environmental changes

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22
Q

Cyanobacteria

A

Autotrophic bacteria

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23
Q

How can cyanobacteria negatively impact environments?

A

Influxes of nitrogen and/or phosphorus can cause blooms that use up the oxygen in an environment; they also produce dangerous toxins

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24
Q

Amoeba

A

Unicellular eukaryote with pseudopodia; feeds by phagocytosis

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25
Paramecium
Ciliophora (unicellular eukaryote) characterized by cilia and having two nuclei; found in aquatic habitats and mammalian gut microbiomes
26
Eukaryotic Algae
Photosynthetic eukaryotes characterized by their unusually large number of chromosomes
27
Trypanosomes
parasitic species of euglena (photosynthetic unicellular eukaryotes) that can cause African sleeping sickness and Chagas disease; able to change its protein coating to avoid the immune system
28
Giardia
Diplomonad (unicellular eukaryote) that colonizes the small intestine of vertebrates and can cause illness; characterized by its highly modified mitochondria known as a mitosome
29
Plasmodium
Apicomplexa (unicellular eukaryote) that causes malaria
30
Foraminifera
Amoeba-like unicellular eukaryotes with a CaCO3 shell that has left a large fossil record
31
Nucleus
Contains most of the genes in the eukaryotic cell
32
Nucleolus
Structure within the nondividing nucleus where rRNA is synthesized and proteins are imported from the cytoplasm and assembled with rRNA into large and small subunits of ribosomes
33
Chromatin
The complex of DNA and proteins making up chromosomes
34
Nuclear Envelope
Encloses the nucleus, separating its contents from the cytoplasm
35
Nuclear Pore
Regulates movement of macromolecules into and out of the nucleus, such as RNA that has been synthesized
36
Free Ribosomes
Ribosomes found in the cytoplasm that produce proteins for use within the cell
37
Bound Ribosomes
Ribosomes attached to the cytosolic side of the Rough ER that produce proteins intended for secretion
38
Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum
Region of the ER (extensive network of membranes that function as a biosynthetic factory) that is studded with ribosomes on its outer surface
39
Golgi Apparatus
A "warehouse" for receiving, sorting, shipping, and even some manufacturing; where products of the ER are modified, stored, and sent to other destinations
40
Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum
Region of the ER (extensive network of membranes that function as a biosynthetic factory) that lacks ribosomes on its outer surface
41
Lysosome
Membranous sac of hydrolytic enzymes that many eukaryotic cells use to digest (hydrolyze) macromolecules
42
Proteasomes
Free-floating complexes that break down specifically marked (by ubiquitin) proteins
43
What are the functions of the Smooth ER?
Synthesizing lipids, storing calcium ions, producing sex hormones, detoxifying drugs, and synthesizing glucose
44
Peroxisome
Specialized metabolic compartment bounded by a single membrane that detoxifies substances by removing hydrogen atoms from toxins
45
Mitochondria
Sites of cellular respiration, double membraned, and contains its own DNA and ribosomes
46
Cytoskeleton
Network of fibers extending throughout the cytoplasm
47
What's the impact of the drug colchicine on the cytoskeleton?
Colchicine binds to tubulins, preventing the formation of new microtubules
48
Protein Targeting Sequence
Amino acid sequence on the N-terminus of some proteins that tag them for transport to a specific location inside or outside the cell
49
What causes Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome?
When there is a mutation in a protein's NLS (Nuclear Localization Signal) that causes the nucleus of cells to be folded
50
What causes Gaucher Disease?
Lysosomal malfunction
51
Cytosol
The fluid part of the cytoplasm
52
Cytoplasm
The interior of the cell
53
Plasma Membrane
Selective barrier that allows passage of enough oxygen, nutrients, and wastes to service the cell, located at the cell boundary
54
Endomembrane System
Includes the nuclear envelope, the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, various kinds of vesicles and vacuoles, and the plasma membrane
55
Vesicles
Sacs made of membrane
56
Transport Vesicles
Vesicles in transit from one part of the cell to another
57
Glycoproteins
Proteins with carbohydrates covalently bonded to them
58
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Extensive network of membranes that function as a biosynthetic factory
59
Phagocytosis
Process by which amoebas and other unicellular protists eat, involving the engulfing of smaller organisms or food particles
60
Crista
The infoldings of the inner membrane of a mitochondrion
61
Matrix
Compartment in the mitochondria that is enclosed by the inner membrane and contains many different enzymes as well as the mitochondrial DNA and ribosomes
62
Chromosomes
Structures that carry the genetic information of DNA
63
Contractile Vacuoles
Pump excess water out of the cell, maintaining a suitable concentration of ions and molecules inside the cell
64
Food Vacuoles
Large vacuole present in mature plant cells that develops by the coalescence of smaller vacuoles
65
Endosymbiont Theory
An early ancestor of eukaryotic cells engulfed an oxygen-using non-photosynthetic cell and eventually, the engulfed cell formed a relationship with the host cell in which it was enclosed to the point of becoming a single organism, a eukaryotic cell with a mitochondrion; one of these cells may have then taken up a photosynthetic prokaryote, becoming the ancestor of eukaryotic cells with chloroplasts
66
Flagella
Cellular extensions that contain microtubules
67
Microtubules
Hollow rods constructed from globular proteins called tubulins
68
Centrosome
Region located near the nucleus, from which microtubules grow
69
Centrioles
Nine sets of triplet microtubules arranged in a ring that help organize microtubule assembly
70
Myosin
Protein making up thicker filaments that interact with actin filaments to cause the contraction of muscle cells
71
Pseudopodia
Cellular extensions used for movement by some cells
72
Cytoplasmic Streaming
A circular flow of cytoplasm within cells that speeds up the movement of organelles and distribution of materials within the cell

Biology I (5 decks)

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