Cell Metabolism, ATP, Proteins, and the Genetic Code Flashcards

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering cellular metabolism, macronutrients, lipid transport, protein synthesis, and genetic coding based on nursing anatomy and physiology review notes.

Metabolism

The full network of building and breaking chemical reactions that keeps cells working.

Anabolism

The metabolic process that builds large molecules from small ones and requires energy.

Catabolism

The metabolic process that breaks large molecules down into small ones and releases energy.

ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)

The cell’s usable energy currency that powers active transport, muscle contraction, and anabolic synthesis.

Monosaccharide

A single sugar unit, such as glucose, fructose, or galactose, used as immediate fuel.

Disaccharide

A carbohydrate composed of two sugars that must be digested before cells can use them.

Polysaccharide

Long chains of sugars such as starch or glycogen used for storage.

Glycogen

The form of glucose storage in animals, found in the liver for blood glucose stabilization and muscle for local fuel.

Anaerobic Pathway

A metabolic process occurring in the cytoplasm that works without oxygen, converting glucose to pyruvate and then to lactate, producing a small amount of ATP.

Aerobic Pathway

A metabolic process requiring oxygen that completely breaks down glucose into $CO_2$, water, and abundant ATP within the mitochondria.

Mitochondria

The organelles where the Krebs cycle and Electron Transport Chain (ETC) occur to produce the majority of cellular ATP.

Gluconeogenesis

The process by which the liver creates new glucose from non-glucose sources like amino acids to prevent hypoglycemia.

Triglycerides

A major stored fuel consisting of glycerol and three fatty acids that also insulates and protects organs.

Phospholipids

Lipids with a polar head and two fatty-acid tails that form cell membranes and help lipids travel in blood.

Steroids

Lipids composed of four connected carbon rings, including cholesterol, Vitamin D, and various hormones.

Lipoproteins

Particles with a phospholipid coat that make hydrophobic lipids transportable in the blood.

LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotein)

Often called 'bad' cholesterol, it delivers cholesterol from the liver to tissues and is highly atherogenic.

HDL (High-Density Lipoprotein)

Often called 'good' cholesterol, it supports reverse transport by carrying cholesterol from tissues back to the liver for excretion.

Essential Amino Acids

Amino acids that must come from the diet because the body cannot synthesize them in sufficient quantities.

Peptide Bonds

Chemical bonds that link amino acids together to form polypeptide chains.

Ammonia

A toxic byproduct of protein catabolism that can harm brain cells and must be detoxified by the liver.

Urea

A nitrogenous waste product made by the liver from ammonia and excreted by the kidneys.

BUN (Blood Urea Nitrogen)

A clinical measurement of nitrogen in circulating urea used to reflect hydration, protein breakdown, or renal and hepatic function.

Nucleotide

The building block of DNA and RNA, consisting of a phosphate, a sugar (ribose or deoxyribose), and a nitrogenous base.

Transcription

The process in the nucleus where DNA strands separate and mRNA base-pairs with the template to copy the genetic message.

Translation

The process at the ribosome where tRNA anticodons match mRNA codons to assemble a specific amino acid sequence into a protein.