Physiological Biochemistry Exam 1 Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering cellular structures, classification of organisms, carbohydrate chemistry, lipids, amino acids, and basic enzyme kinetics based on Physiological Biochemistry Exam 1 notes.

Replication

The process of DNA synthesis.

Transcription

The process of RNA synthesis.

Translation

The process of protein synthesis.

Autotroph

An organism that makes its own food.

Heterotroph

An organism that consumes compounds from the environment.

Chemoheterotrophs

Organisms, including humans, animals, fungi, and most bacteria, that obtain both energy and carbon from organic compounds in the environment.

Chemoautotrophs

Organisms, such as nitrifying bacteria and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria, that obtain energy by breaking down inorganic substances and use carbon dioxide as their primary carbon source.

Photoautotrophs

Organisms, such as plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, that use light as an energy source and carbon dioxide as their primary carbon source.

Photoheterotrophs

Organisms, such as purple non-sulfur bacteria and green non-sulfur bacteria, that use light as an energy source and organic compounds from the environment as a carbon source.

Ribosomes

Cellular organelles responsible for synthesizing proteins.

Peroxisomes

Cellular organelles responsible for oxidizing fatty acids.

Cytoskeleton

A cellular framework that functions to support the cell and aid in the movement of organelles.

Lysosomes

Cellular organelles responsible for degrading intracellular debris.

Golgi Complex

The organelle that processes, packages, and targets proteins to other organelles or for export.

Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum

The organelle region that serves as the site of lipid synthesis and drug metabolism within the cell.

Nucleolus

The site located within the nucleus where ribosomal RNA synthesis occurs.

Rough Endoplasmic Reticulum (RER)

The organelle region where the majority of protein synthesis occurs.

Mitochondria

Organelles responsible for oxidizing fuels to produce ATP, as well as functioning in cell death, cell signaling, cell differentiation, and cell proliferation.

Plasma Membrane

A cellular structure that separates the cell from the environment and regulates the movement of materials into and out of the cell.

Nuclear Envelope

A membrane structure that segregates chromatin from cytoplasm.

Chromatin

The material comprising genes, composed of DNA and protein.

Nuclear Genome

A linear genome structure that is inherited both maternally and paternally.

Mitochondrial Genome

A circular genome structure that is inherited maternally only.

Apoptosis

Cell death.

White Adipose Tissue Cells

Fat cells containing very little mitochondria whose primary function is to store lipids.

Brown Adipose Tissue Cells

Fat cells containing a large number of mitochondria whose primary function is to burn (oxidize) lipids.

Actin Filaments

The most abundant protein within the cytoskeleton.

Microtubules

Cytoskeletal components composed of tubulin with a diameter of $25\,nm$ that form railroad-like tracks throughout the cell.

Intermediate Filaments

Rope-like, fibrous cytoskeletal components made of keratin.

Noble Gases

The most stable atoms due to having their electron shells filled.

Hydrophilic

Water-loving; attracted to and able to interact with or dissolve in water.

Hydrophobic

Water-fearing; repelled by water and does not readily dissolve in water.

Van Der Waals Interactions

Weak interactions that occur in all atoms regardless of polarity.

Monosaccharides

Carbohydrates consisting of 1 sugar molecule.

Disaccharides

Carbohydrates consisting of 2 sugars linked together.

Polysaccharides

Carbohydrates consisting of multiple sugars linked together.

Fru

The abbreviation for Fructose.

Gal

The abbreviation for Galactose.

GalNAc

The abbreviation for N-Acetylgalactosamine.

Glc

The abbreviation for Glucose.

GlcNAc

The abbreviation for N-Acetylglucosamine.

Man

The abbreviation for Mannose.

Anomeric Carbon

The carbon located to the right of the oxygen atom in a cyclic sugar.

Alpha Anomer

Sugar isomer configuration where the hydroxyl group ($\text{OH}$) on the anomeric carbon points DOWN.

Beta Anomer

Sugar isomer configuration where the hydroxyl group ($\text{OH}$) on the anomeric carbon points UP.

Aldose

A monosaccharide that contains an aldehyde group.

Ketose

A monosaccharide that contains a ketone group.

Enantiomer

A molecule that is a non-superimposable mirror image of another molecule.

Diastereomer

Stereoisomers that are not mirror images of each other.

Epimer

A type of diastereomer that differs in configuration at only one chiral center.

Condensation Reaction

An energetically unfavorable process involving the removal of water where two monosaccharides combine to form a disaccharide.

Hydrolysis Reaction

An energetically favorable process involving the addition of water where a disaccharide is broken down into monosaccharides.

Glycosidic Bond

A chemical bond that forms between an anomeric carbon and a hydroxyl carbon of another sugar molecule.

N-glycosidic Bond

A bond formed between a sugar molecule and a nitrogen atom.

S-glycosidic Bond

A bond formed between a sugar molecule and a sulfur atom.

Glycogen

A branched homopolysaccharide that contains $\alpha 1\rightarrow 6$ and $\alpha 1\rightarrow 4$ linkages.

Cellulose

An unbranched and linear homopolysaccharide containing $\beta 1\rightarrow 4$ linkages that make it non-metabolizable.

Amphipathic

Describing a molecule that maintains a hydrophilic head group and a hydrophobic tail.

Zwitterion

An amino acid or dipolar ion with a deprotonated carboxyl group and a protonated amino group resulting in a net charge of zero.

Cis Fatty Acid

A fatty acid configuration where hydrogen atoms are on the same side of the double bond.

Trans Fatty Acid

A fatty acid configuration where hydrogen atoms are on opposite sides of the double bond.

Basic Amino Acids

Amino acids consisting of Lysine, Arginine, and Histidine (Mnemonic: HAL).

Aromatic Amino Acids

Amino acids consisting of Phenylalanine, Tyrosine, and Tryptophan (Mnemonic: PTT).

Acidic Amino Acids

Amino acids consisting of Aspartic acid (Aspartate) and Glutamic acid (Glutamate) (Mnemonic: DE).

Oxidation

The loss of electrons.

Reduction

The gain of electrons.

Enzymes

Biological catalysts that lower the activation barrier and increase chemical reaction rates without affecting free energy ($\Delta G$).

KM

The amount of substrate needed to reach half of the maximum velocity ($\frac{1}{2} V_{\text{max}}$), where a lower value corresponds to a higher binding affinity.