Organisms Lecture 1

Question 1

What is the motion of molecules in a cell?

Answer 1

Molecules are in constant motion in the cell.

Question 2

What is Escherichia Coli (E. coli)?

Answer 2

E. coli is a small, rod-shaped bacterium with a simple genome, normally living in the gut of humans and other vertebrates, but can be easily produced in the lab.

Question 3

What is reaction coupling?

Answer 3

Reaction coupling is used to drive energetically unfavorable reactions.

Question 4

What are activated carriers?

Answer 4

Activated carriers can store and transfer energy in a form that a cell can use.

Question 5

What are some ideal uses for E. coli?

Answer 5

Ideal for bacterial gene control and protein function studies, cell cycle and bacterial metabolism, and new antibiotic production.

Question 6

What is Saccharomyces cerevisiae?

Answer 6

Saccharomyces cerevisiae is a model eukaryote, a single-celled organism with the cellular organization of a eukaryote (nucleus + organelles).

Question 7

What are model organisms used for?

Answer 7

Model organisms are used to understand the fundamental mechanisms of life.

Question 8

What are the advantages of model organisms?

Answer 8

They are easily grown and genetically manipulated.

Question 9

What are some ideal uses for E. coli in research?

Answer 9

Ideal for control of cell cycle and cell division, aging, protein secretion, and chromosome structure.

Question 10

What is Arabidopsis thaliana?

Answer 10

Arabidopsis thaliana has been chosen as a model plant.

Question 11

What are activated carriers?

Answer 11

Activated carriers can store and transfer energy in a form that a cell can use.

Question 12

What is Caenorhabditis elegans?

Answer 12

Caenorhabditis elegans is a well-suited model for genetic studies.

It has exactly 959 cells in an adult body.

Question 13

What are the ideal studies for Caenorhabditis elegans?

Answer 13

Ideal for cell lineage studies, formation and function of the nervous system, and development of the body plan.

Question 14

What is Danio rerio?

Answer 14

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are popular models for studies of vertebrate development.

Its genome can be easily manipulated; several mutants were formed.

Question 15

What are the ideal studies for Danio rerio?

Answer 15

Ideal for cell lineage studies, formation and function of the nervous system, and development of the body plan.

Question 16

What is Arabidopsis thaliana?

Answer 16

Arabidopsis thaliana has been chosen as a model organism.

It is transparent for the first two weeks of its life.

Question 17

What is Xenopus laevis used for?

Answer 17

Xenopus laevis is ideal for developmental studies.

Question 18

What are model organisms used for?

Answer 18

Model organisms are used to understand biological processes.

Question 19

Why is Xenopus laevis ideal for developmental studies?

Answer 19

Xenopus laevis is ideal for developmental studies due to ex-utero egg growth and large-celled embryos that develop outside the mother.

Question 20

What are the advantages of using Xenopus laevis?

Answer 20

Their eggs are big and easy to manipulate.

Question 21

What is Arabidopsis thaliana used as a model for?

Answer 21

Arabidopsis thaliana is chosen as a model plant ideal for developmental biology, egg fertilization and embryogenesis, and cell fate tracking.

Question 22

What is the predominant mammalian model organism?

Answer 22

The house mouse (Mus musculus) is the predominant mammalian model organism.

Question 23

What is Caenorhabditis elegans well-suited for?

Answer 23

Caenorhabditis elegans is well-suited for genetic studies.

Question 24

Why are humans and mice considered similar in research?

Answer 24

Humans and mice have similar genes and similar development.

Question 25

What are zebrafish (Danio rerio) popular for?

Answer 25

Zebrafish are popular models for studying vertebrate development due to their small size, making it easier to produce several in small spaces.

Question 26

What are the applications of Xenopus laevis in research?

Answer 26

Xenopus laevis is ideal for cancer studies, human disease models, and immune response to diseases.

Question 27

What is true about genes controlling developmental processes?

Answer 27

Many genes which control the developmental processes are similar in humans and other animals.

Question 28

What is Arabidopsis thaliana?

Answer 28

A model plant that is a flowering plant and can be grown indoors in large numbers. ## Footnote Studying this simple weed provides insights into the development and physiology of crop plants.

Question 29

Why is Arabidopsis thaliana used as a model organism?

Answer 29

Because genes found in Arabidopsis have counterparts in agricultural species.

Question 30

What is reaction coupling?

Answer 30

A process used to drive energetically unfavorable reactions.

Question 31

What are activated carriers?

Answer 31

Molecules that can store and transfer energy.

Question 32

What insights do model organisms provide?

Answer 32

Insights into the evolution of all other plant species that dominate nearly every ecosystem on Earth.

Question 33

What is Drosophila melanogaster?

Answer 33

A valuable model for studying embryonic development.

Question 34

What is Escherichia coli (E. coli)?

Answer 34

An ideal model organism with whole genome information and many mutant lines available. ## Footnote Ideal for studying the development of the body plan, formation of the nervous system, heart and musculature, control of cell polarization, and effects of drugs or pesticides.

Question 35

What is Caenorhabditis elegans?

Answer 35

A well-suited model organism for genetic studies.