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Princeton : MCAT BIOLOGY > MCAT BIO : Chapter 3 / Biologically Important Molecules > Flashcards

MCAT BIO : Chapter 3 / Biologically Important Molecules Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the 4 nitrogenous bases found in DNA?

A

Adenine, Guanine, Thymine, Cytosine

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2
Q

What are the 4 nitrogenous bases found in RNA?

A

Adenine, Guanine, Uracil, Cytosine

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3
Q

What stabilizes the DNA sugar-phosphate backbone?

A

Van der Waals Interactions

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4
Q

What is the bond that polymerizes nitrogenous bases together?

A

Hydrogen bonds (H-Bonds)

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5
Q

What are the components that comprises a nucleotide?

A

(1-3) Pyrophosphates, a purine/pyrimdine nitrogenous base, and ribose sugar

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6
Q

What is the bond between two orthophosphates?

A

Anhydride linkage

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7
Q

What do two orthophosphates comprise?

A

Pyrophosphates

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8
Q

What are the components that comprise amino acids?

A

Alpha-amino group, alpha-carboxyl group, tetrahedral alpha-carbon, and a variable R-group

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9
Q

What are the two bonds that are formed between amino acids?

A

Peptide bonds and disulfide bridges

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10
Q

What is a peptide bond?

A

A bond that links amino acids together

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11
Q

What is a disulfide bridge?

A

A bond that links cysteine R-groups

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12
Q

What are the three types of fats?

A

Triglycerides, Phospholipids, and Cholesterol

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13
Q

What type of reaction does amino acids undergo?

A

Condensation reaction

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14
Q

What type of reaction does nucleotides undergo?

A

Polymerization

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15
Q

What type of bond is formed in the formation of triglycerides?

A

Ester bonds

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16
Q

What are the components that comprise a phospholipid?

A

A polar head group and two nonpolar tails

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17
Q

What is the pattern for the polypeptide backbone?

A

N-C-C-N-C-C

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18
Q

What is the term for an individual amino acid in a polypeptide chain?

A

Residue

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19
Q

What is the first end made during polypeptide synthesis?

A

Amino (N) - Terminus

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20
Q

What is the last end made during polypeptide synthesis?

A

Carboxyl (C) - Terminus

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21
Q

When a protein undergoes hydrolysis by another protein, what is this called?

A

Proteolysis or Proteolytic Cleavage

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22
Q

What is the enzyme that cuts out individual amino acids in a polypeptide chain?

A

Proteolytic enzyme or Protease

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23
Q

Proteolytic cleaving is specific to individual amino acids. (T/F)

A

True; Each amino acid has their own protease

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24
Q

Why is amino acid “cysteine” reactive?

A

Cysteine contains a thiol (R-SH) functional group

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25
How is the disulfide bond created?
One cysteine will react with another cysteine residue and due to their reactive thiol groups. They will create a covalent bond through S-S
26
Disulfide bonds can ONLY be found in the same polypeptide chains (T/F)
False; disulfide bonds can be found in the same AND different polypeptide chains
27
When two cysteine residues bond, what are they referred to as?
Cystine
28
What are the structures of proteins in 3D?
Primary (1) Secondary(2) Tertiary(3) Quaternary(4)
29
What factors can denature proteins?
Urea, Extremes of pH, Extremes of temperature, and changes in salt concentration
30
What is a "denatured" protein?
When the structure of a protein is improperly folded and has become non-functional
31
What is the Primary (1) structure dependent on for proteins?
Peptide bonds; the polypeptide will be in a linear order of amino acids
32
What is the Secondary (2) structure dependent on for proteins?
Hydrogens bonds that stabilize the backbone between alpha-amino groups and alpha-carboxyl groups Alpha-helices and Beta-pleaded sheets are found in this structure. This is the initial folding of proteins
33
What are the two types of Beta-pleaded sheets?
Parallel: adjacent amino acid strands running in the same direction Antiparallel: amino acid strands running in the opposite direction
34
What is the Tertiary (3) structure dependent on for proteins?
Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic interactions | This focuses on the concerns between amino acid residues
35
Why does hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions occur in the Tertiary (3) structure?
As Alpha-helices go into a higher order, R-groups start to interact with each other and water
36
What is the nature of hydrophobic groups?
Folding on the interior away from the solvent
37
What is the nature of hydrophilic groups?
Exposing themselves to the solvent on the surface
38
What is the Quaternary (4) structure dependent on for proteins?
Van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonds, disulfide bonds, electrostatic interactions Describes the interactions between polypeptide's subunits
39
What is a subunit?
A single polypeptide that is part of a large complex found in the Quaternary (4) structure of proteins
40
What do you call a single carbohydrate? Two carbohydrates? Many carbohydrates?
Monosaccharide / Disaccharide / Polysaccharide
41
What is the bond between two monosaccharides?
Glycosidic linkage
42
What are the two glycosidic linkages?
Alpha-glycosidic linkage and Beta-glycosidic linkage
43
Which glycosidic linkage is more stable, alpha or beta?
Beta - glycosidic linkage
44
How can carbohydrates be broken down into CO2?
Oxidation by combustion reactions
45
What do carbohydrates serve as?
Principle energy for cellular metabolism
46
Why are triglycerides important?
They store energy in adipose cells
47
Why are phospholipids important?
A constitutional barrier between the extra cellular and intracellular space for cellular membranes
48
Why is cholesterol important?
Special lipid that serves as the building blocks for hydrophobic steroid hormones
49
What are lipids dependent on?
Hydrophobicity
50
What is the synonym of hydrophobic?
Lipophilic
51
What is the synonym of hydrophilic?
Lipophobic
52
What does the fatty acid structures look like?
Long, unsubstituted alkanes that end in a carboxylic acid and typically 14-18 carbons long
53
Only odd numbers of fatty acids are found in human cells (T/F)
False; even numbers of fatty acids
54
What is the term for fatty acids with no double bond?
Saturated
55
What is the term for fatty acids with one or more double bonds?
Unsaturated
56
What configuration are unsaturated fats found in?
Cigs or "Z" configuration
57
What is the structure called when free fatty acids interact in an aqueous solution?
Micelle
58
When unsaturated fats are bent at the double bond, what is the other term for bent?
Kinked
59
What is the storage form of fatty acids?
Triglycerol
60
What are the components that comprises triglycerides?
Three fatty acids and glycerol
61
How does the ester bonds solidify their connection between glycerol and the fatty acids?
The 3 hydroxyl groups are esterfied on glycerol to the fatty acids
62
What is the enzyme that catalyzes fats?
Lipases
63
What are better sources of energy, carbohydrates or fats?
Fats; in terms of packing and energy content
64
How is the phospholipid bilayer formed?
Hydrophobic interactions, then stabilized by van der Waals interactions
65
How does unsaturation affect membrane fluidity?
It will increase the fluidity; this is due to the prevention of the membrane from solidifying and decreases the length of fatty acid tails
66
How does cholesterol play a role in the membrane?
It is a modulator for fluidity
67
In low temperatures, how does cholesterol affect fluidity?
The fluidity increases via membrane antifreeze
68
In high temperatures, how does cholesterol affect fluidity?
Fluidity decreases
69
What are the determinants of membrane fluidity?
Degree of saturation, tail of length, amount of cholesterol
70
What is a terpene?
Built from isoprene units (C5H8)n
71
What conformations can terpenes be classified under?
Linear or cyclic
72
What are the components that comprises steroids?
Tetracyclic ring system based off of cholesterol
73
Examples of steroid hormones
Testosterone and Estradiol
74
What is testosterone?
It is a male sex hormone: androgen
75
What is estradiol?
It is a female sex hormone: estrogen
76
Where is cholesterol synthesized?
In the liver
77
Where can cholesterol be found?
In the blood; packaged with fats and proteins into lipoproteins
78
What is the bond for two nucleotides that are bound together?
Phosphodiester bond
79
Why do pyrophosphate anhydride linkages store so much energy?
The negative charges repel each other very strongly, the linked orthophosphates have higher free energy, and pyrophosphates don't have as favorable interactions with biological solvents
80
What does nATP stand for?
Nucleotide adenosine triphosphate
81
Why is ATP so important?
ATP plays a central role in cellular metabolism and a RNA precursor
82
How is ATP extracted from food?
The energy is oxidized and immediately stored into phosphoanhydride bonds
83
What energy molecule is used to synthesize fats and glucose?
ATP
84
Viruses can't make their own ATP (T/F)
True; bacteria to humans can make their own

Princeton : MCAT BIOLOGY (2 decks)

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