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BMB 401 > Ch. 1 > Flashcards

Ch. 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

amino acid

A

nitrogen-containing molecules (substituted carboxylic acids) that function as the building blocks for proteins and precursors to numerous nitrogen-containing biomolecules

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2
Q

amphipathic

A

polar and nonpolar chemical properties contained within the same molecule

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3
Q

amylose

A

an a(1-4) linear form of starch

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4
Q

angstrom

A

a unit of length equal to 10^-10 meter typically used to describe the length of a chemical bond

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5
Q

base pair

A

two nucleotides in nucleic acid chains that are paired by hydrogen bonding, such as C-G, A-T, or A-U

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6
Q

base stacking

A

stabilizing interactions between the aromatic rings of the nucleotide bases within the interior of the DNA helix

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7
Q

bioinformatics

A

the use of computational tools to probe and analyze large data sets of biological information, typically whole genomes or proteomes

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8
Q

biomolecule

A

an organic compound essential to living organisms; major types include amino acids, nucleotides, simple sugars, and fatty acids

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9
Q

capsule

A

an outer layer, usually of polysaccharides, that surrounds some prokaryotic cells, particularly bacteria

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10
Q

carbohydrate

A

an organic compound of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that can be a simple sugar or a polymer of sugars; the typical formula is (CH20)n, where n is at least 3

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11
Q

central dogma

A

the description of information transfer in molecular biology, which flows from DNA to RNA to proteins

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12
Q

chitin

A

a linear polysaccharide consisting of N-acetylglucosamine units linked by B(1-4) glycosidic bonds. it is a major component of insect and crustacean exoskeletons and fungal cell walls

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13
Q

chloroplast

A

in plant cells, an organelle that converts light energy into chemical energy

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14
Q

chromatin

A

in eukaryotes, a complex of DNA and proteins that constitutes chromosomes

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15
Q

chromosome

A

a DNA molecule that functions to store and transmit genetic information

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16
Q

coding strand

A

a DNA sequence that has the same 5’ to 3’ polarity as the corresponding mRNA transcript; it is complementary to the DNA template strand

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17
Q

cyclic pathway

A

a metabolic pathway containing several metabolites that regenerate during each turn of the cycle, serving as both reactants and products

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18
Q

cytoplasm

A

a cell’s contents within the plasma membrane (but not including the nucleus in eukaryotic cells), including organelles; the site of most cellular activities

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19
Q

cytoskeleton

A

in eukaryotic cells, a network of intracellular filaments, consisting of oligomeric proteins, that maintains cell structure

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20
Q

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

A

a polymeric macromolecule consisting of nucleotides covalently linked through phosphodiester bonds; the biomolecule encoding inheritable genetic information

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21
Q

DNA replication

A

the enzyme-mediated process of doubling the DNA content of a cell during division

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22
Q

DNA transcription

A

the process of generating RNA from a DNA template

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23
Q

ecosystem

A

a geographic community where different organisms have adapted to share resources and waste management in a linked system of energy flows and nutrient cycles

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24
Q

endoplasmic reticulum

A

in eukaryotic cells, highly invaginated membrane structures that sequester ribosomes for protein synthesis

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25
endosymbiotic theory
the theory proposing that eukaryotic cells evolved about 1.5 billion years ago as a result of large predatory cells engulfing aerobic bacteria or cyanobacteria, giving rise to mitochondria and chloroplasts, respectively
26
enzyme
protein or RNA biomolecules that function as reaction catalysts to increase the rates of biochemical reactions
27
eukaryote
a cell that contains a nucleus and other organelles bounded by membranes, creating microenvironments for biochemical reactions
28
fatty acid
an organic molecule consisting of a polar carboxyl group covalently linked to a nonpolar extended hydrocarbon chain
29
fermentation
the conversion of rotting fruit or grain into alcohol and CO2 through the action of yeast enzymes under anaerobic conditions
30
flagellum
an extracellular structure used for cell movement by bacteria and sperm cells
31
forked pathway
a metabolic pathway that generates two products, each of which undergoes a different metabolic fate
32
gene
a segment of DNA that codes for a transcribed RNA molecule; the functional unit of heredity
33
gene duplication
a mechanism by which duplication of a region of DNA containing a gene can lead to the evolution of new genetic material
34
genome
all of the genetic information in a cell or virus contained in DNA or RNA
35
golgi apparatus
in eukaryotic cells, a membranous structure required for protein translocation within the cell and in facilitating protein secretion at the plasma membrane
36
ligand
a small molecule that is often a metabolite, a hormone, or peptide and which binds to target proteins and alters their structure and function to control biochemical processes
37
linear metabolic pathway
a metabolic pathway in which each reaction generates only a single product, which is a reactant for the next reaction in the pathway
38
lysosome
in eukaryotic cells, a membrane-bound organelle involved in degradation and detoxification of macromolecules
39
macromolecule
an organic polymer such as protein, nucleic acid, or polysaccharide with high molecular mass (from a few thousand to several million daltons)
40
messenger RNA (mRNA)
a molecule of RNA that serves as a template for protein synthesis
41
metabolic flux
the rate at which reactants and products are interconverted in a metabolic pathway
42
metabolic pathway
sequences of biochemical reactions coordinated and controlled by a cell in response to available energy
43
metabolite
any of a group of small biomolecules that serve as reactants and products in biochemical reactions within cells
44
micro RNA (miRNA)
genome-encoded small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression and mRNA translation
45
microtubule
a cable-like component of the cytoskeleton that enables an animal cell to move by extending the plasma membrane in one direction while retracting it at the opposite end of the cell
46
mitochondria
the eukaryotic organelle responsible for many of the metabolic reactions involved in energy conversion and production of ATP
47
mRNA translation
the process by which a ribosome decodes a molecule of mRNA and synthesizes a corresponding protein
48
natural selection
the change in the frequency of genes in a population under conditions that favor some genes over others
49
nucleoid
in bacteria, a region containing the chromosome (without any surrounding membrane)
50
nucleolus
in eukaryotic cells, a part of the nucleus where ribosomes are assembled from ribosomal RNA and protein
51
nucleotide
an organic molecule consisting of a purine or pyrimidine base, a five-membered sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), and one to three phosphate groups
52
nucleus
in eukaryotic cells, a membrane-bound organelle that contains chromosomes
53
orthologous gene
one of a set of highly conserved gene sequences that arose from a common ancestral gene and encode proteins with the same function in different species
54
paralogous genes
highly conserved genes within the same species; most often derived from the process of gene duplication
55
peptide bond
a covalent bond between the alpha amino group of one amino acid and the alpha carboxyl group of another amino acid
56
peroxisome
in eukaryotic cells, an organelle containing enzymes for forming or destroying peroxides
57
phosphodiester bond
a chemical grouping resulting from two hydroxyl groups in phosphoric acid forming bonds with hydroxyl groups on two other molecules to form ester bonds; the primary linkage between nucleotides in DNA and RNA
58
phospholipid
lipids containing a simple organic molecule attached to a negatively charged phosphoryl group and two fatty acids
59
pilus
a hair-like appendage on the surface of bacteria, used in cell movement and reproduction
60
transformation (plasmid)
a process in which DNA is taken up by bacteria and incorporated into the genome or contained on a DNA plasmid
61
polypeptide
a short linear chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds
62
polysaccharide
a linear or branched polymer (carbohydrate) of monosaccharide units
63
prokaryote
a single-celled organism that lacks a nucleus and other membrane bound organelles; this category includes all bacteria
64
protein
a polymer of amino acids represented by an extended polypeptide chain
65
proteome
the complete collection of proteins in a cell or organism
66
reverse trasncription
the process that converts RNA into DNA, most often related to replication of retroviruses
67
ribonucleic acid (RNA)
a nucleic acid polymer consisting of nucleoside monophosphates with unmodified adenine, guanine, cytosine, or uridine nucleotide bases or modified nucleotide bases
68
ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
a type of RNA that forms the major component of ribosomes
69
ribosome
a large RNA-protein complex that mediates protein synthesis in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
70
signal transduction
mechanisms that facilitate communication between cells, often initiated through the binding of small molecules (ligands) to proteins called receptors
71
simple sugar
a monomeric carbohydrate used in the cell for functions such as energy storage, structural organization, or cell recognition
72
small nuclear RNA (snRNA)
small RNA molecules involved in RNA processing
73
systems biology
the study of complex chemical reaction networks in cells
74
template strand
a DNA sequence that has the opposite 5' to 3' polarity as the corresponding mRNA transcript; it is complementary to the DNA coding strand
75
transcriptome
the collection of DNA transcripts (RNA products) generated by DNA transcription
76
transfer RNA (tRNA)
the adaptor molecule in protein synthesis that delivers an amino acid to the ribosome
77
triacylglycerol
a neutral (uncharged) lipid that contains three fatty acid esters covalently linked to glycerol
78
vacuole
a membrane-bound organelle in many types of eukaryotic cells, particularly plant cells, that stores metabolites and also isolates molecules that might be harmful to the cell
79
wild-type
a fully functional protein-coding sequence without any mutations

BMB 401 (6 decks)

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