BIO 1408 - Unit II Vocabulary

WIP

Oxidative Phosphorylation

the final stage of cellular respiration; the process by which ATP synthesis is coupled to the movement of electrons through the mitochondrial electron transport chain and the associated consumption of oxygen

Metabolism

The chemical changes that take place within a cell or an organism

Potential Energy

Energy stored in chemical bonds

Kinetic Energy

The energy of particles moving at different speeds, such as thermal energy

Energy

Ability to do work

Law of Conservation of Energy

The universe has a constant amount of energy; energy does not get created, it gets reused/regenerated

Law of Entropy

No process is 100% efficient; inputting 100% will not guarantee 100% output. Example: when we eat a lollipop, we only absorb some of the energy we get from it

Cellular Respiration

Cellular respiration is the process by which biological fuels are oxidised in the presence of an inorganic electron acceptor such as oxygen to produce large amounts of energy

Dehydration Synthesis

the creation of larger molecules/polymers from smaller monomers where a water molecule is released

Hydrolysis

A chemical process of decomposition involving the splitting of a bond by the addition of water

Exergonic Reaction

a reaction that releases free energy. Example: cellular respiration

Endergonic Reaction

a reaction that requires energy to be driven. Example: photosynthesis

Energy Coupling

reactions that are joined together and are used to push the second reaction with the release of free energy in one reaction

ATP

the source of energy for use and storage at the cellular level

ADP

an important organic compound in metabolism and is essential to the flow of energy in living cells

Phosphorylation

a process in which a phosphate group is added to a molecule, such as a sugar or a protein

Enzyme

proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions

Activation Energy

the amount of energy required to reach the transition state

Activation Site

part of the enzyme where the catalytic activity takes place and whose shape permits the binding only of a specific reactant molecule

Cofactor

a non-protein, typically metal ions, that sits in the active site of an enzyme; happens before reactions. Examples: zinc, magnesium, iron

Coenzyme

a non-protein that takes the product produced by a reaction and makes sure it’s dealt with properly (transporting it etc.); made up of organic molecules like vitamins; happens after a reaction

Feedback Loop (Enzymes)

helps cells keep track of what they need, thus controlling reaction rates; everything in a cell would fall into chaos without them

Negative Feedback / Feedback Inhibition

suppression of the activity of an enzyme, participating in a sequence of reactions by which a substance is synthesized, by a product of that sequence

Competitive Inhibition

has a similar shape to a substrate, it sits in the active site of an enzyme to block more substrates from fitting in; actively competes with substrates, think of a parking lot

Non-Competitive Inhibitor

binds elsewhere on the enzyme to cease production

Positive Feedback

rarer than negative feedback; tells the enzyme to keep going and increase production at the same time. Example: child birth releasing oxytocin

Cell Membrane

a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of all cells from the outside environment

Fluid Mosaic

used to describe the plasma membrane which is composed of phospholipids and protein embeds

Glycoprotein

protein embeds with carbohydrate tails, serves as identification tags that are specifically recognized by membrane proteins

Selectively Permeable Membranes

not everything can get through the plasma membrane of a cell; proteins are primarily in charge of what enters and exits a cell

Phospholipid Bi-layer

a two-layered arrangement of phosphate and lipid molecules that form a cell membrane; phospholipids are made up of polar heads and nonpolar tails

Passive Transport

a type of membrane transport that does not require energy to move substances across cell membranes; think of diffusion, osmosis, and facilitated diffusion; moves from higher concentration to a lower concentration

Active Transport

the movement of molecules or ions across a cell membrane from a region of lower concentration to a region of higher concentration; think of protein pumps, endocytosis, and exocytosis. Example: stomata in plants

Diffusion

movement of anything generally from a region of higher concentration to a region of lower concentration until evenly distributed; think of how food dye disperses when placed in water. Examples: CO2, O2, and water molecules

Facilitated Diffusion

the diffusion of solutes through transport/helper proteins in the plasma membrane. Examples: glucose, ions, and large molecules

Osmosis

he net movement of water across a semipermeable membrane

Hydration Shell

sphere of water molecules around each dissolved Ion. Example: these form when salt is dropped in water

Hypotonic Solution

any external solution that has a low solute concentration and high water concentration compared to body fluids. Example: plant cells will swell due to excess water

Hypertonic Solution

any external solution that has a high solute concentration and low water concentration compared to body fluids. Example: plant cells shrivel due to lack of water

Isotonic Solution

any external solution that has the same solute concentration and water concentration compared to body fluids

Anabolic Reaction

reactions that use energy to build complex molecules from simpler organic compounds (e.g., proteins from amino acids, carbohydrates from sugars, fats from fatty acids and glycerol)

Catabolic Reaction

reactions that break complex molecules down into simpler ones, releasing chemical energy

Allosteric site

an extra site on an enzyme that allows for a noncompetitive inhibitor to bind

Active Site

the uniquely shaped pocket on an enzyme that allows for a substrate or competitive inhibitor to bind

Endocytosis

the cellular process in which substances are brought into the cell

Exocytosis

a form of active transport and bulk transport in which a cell transports molecules out of the cell

Phagocytosis

a form of endocytosis in which substances are wrapped around and pulled into a vacuole

Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis

substances must bind to receptors in order to be received into a cell

Pinocytosis

allows the intake of fluid

Kinase

a type of enzyme that adds chemicals called phosphates to other molecules

Dehydrongenase

 enzyme that oxidizes a substrate by transferring hydrogen to an acceptor

Pyruvate

product when 6 carbon glucose are split into two 3 carbon pieces; end product of Glysis, which is converted into acetyl coA that enters the Krebs cycle when there is sufficient oxygen available

Acetyle CoA

a coenzyme whose main function is to deliver the acetyl group to the citric acid cycle (Krebs cycle) to be oxidized for energy production

Sub-Level Phosphorolation

when a phosphoryl group is transferred from a substrate to ADP to form ATP coupled with the release of free energy; happens during the first and third stages of cellular respiration

Electron Transport Chain

where NAD+ is sent when it oxidizes; an electrochemical gradient that leads to the creation of ATP in a complete system named oxidative phosphorylation

Oxidation

a biological process that involves the loss of electrons

Reduction

a biological process that involves the gain of electrons

Fermentation

defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen

Alcohol Fermentation

Ethanol is produced by alcoholic fermentation of the glucose in corn or other plants

Lactic Acid Fermentation

a metabolic process by which glucose or other six-carbon sugars are converted into cellular energy and the metabolite lactate, which is lactic acid in solution

Chemiosmosis 

 the process of moving ions (e.g. protons) to the other side of a biological membrane

Glycolysis

first step in cellular respiration; the metabolic pathway that converts glucose into pyruvate

Preparatory Reactions

second step in cellular respiration; generates a molecule of Acetyl-CoA from the Coenzyme A which can enter the mitochondria

Citric Acid Cycle

also known as KREBS; third step in cellular respiration process; a series of chemical reactions to release stored energy through the oxidation of acetyl-CoA derived from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins