BIOL 141 Test 2 Vocabulary Review

Vocabulary flashcards covering weak area concepts from the BIOL 141 Test 2 study guide.

Hydrocarbon

A compound or structure that contains only hydrogen ($H$) and carbon ($C$).

Fatty Acids

Hydrocarbon chains that are nonpolar and hydrophobic.

Phospholipid

A molecule composed of $1$ glycerol, $2$ fatty-acid chains, and a phosphate head.

Biological Membrane

A phospholipid barrier, such as the plasma membrane (a phospholipid bilayer), that separates the inside of the cell from the outside.

Prokaryotic Chromosomes

Chromosomes in prokaryotes, which generally consist of $1$ circular chromosome.

Eukaryotic Chromosomes

Chromosomes in eukaryotes, which generally consist of multiple linear chromosomes.

Nuclear Envelope

A nuclear boundary consisting of $2$ phospholipid bilayers.

Nuclear Pores

Openings in the nuclear envelope that allow passage into and out of the nucleus.

Microfilaments (Actin Filaments)

The smallest component of the cytoskeleton; also forms pseudopodia.

Intermediate Filaments

The medium-sized component of the cytoskeleton.

Microtubules

The largest component of the cytoskeleton; forms cilia and flagella.

Cilia

Shorter and more numerous cellular extensions made of microtubules.

Flagella

Long cellular extensions made of microtubules.

Pseudopodia

"False feet" made of microfilaments used for amoeba crawling.

A-T Base Pair

Adenine-Thymine DNA base pair held together by $2$ hydrogen bonds.

C-G Base Pair

Cytosine-Guanine DNA base pair held together by $3$ hydrogen bonds.

RNA Primer

A short RNA starting point required because DNA polymerase cannot start from scratch; DNA polymerase takes over at its $3'$ end.

Endomembrane System

A group of eukaryotic membrane structures working together, including the nucleus, rough/smooth ER, Golgi, lysosomes, vesicles, vacuoles, and plasma membrane.

Nucleic Acids

Biological macromolecules consisting of DNA and RNA.

Nucleotides

The building blocks of DNA and RNA.

Ribosomes

Cellular structures composed of rRNA and protein.