BIOL1107: Cell Structure, Transport, Metabolism, and Enzymes

Flashcards covering key biological concepts including cell structure, membrane transport, cell signaling, bioenergetics, and enzyme regulation.

In microscopy, what parameter is defined as the measure of the clarity of an image, or the minimum distance between two distinguishable points?

Resolution

How does the folding of the inner mitochondrial membrane into cristae directly enhance cellular respiration?

It maximizes the surface area available to host respiratory chain proteins and ATP synthase.

What are the three main types of cytoskeletal fibers, ordered from thickest to thinnest in diameter?

Microtubules ($25\,nm$ diameter), intermediate filaments ($8$-$12\,nm$ diameter), and microfilaments ($7\,nm$ diameter).

How many sodium ions and potassium ions does the sodium–potassium pump move across the plasma membrane per $1$ ATP consumed?

It moves $3\,\text{Na}^+$ out of the cell and $2\,\text{K}^+$ into the cell.

Which type of cell signaling covers the longest distance in the body, using hormones released into the bloodstream to reach distant target cells?

Endocrine signaling

What does the first law of thermodynamics (the principle of conservation of energy) state?

Energy can be transferred and transformed, but it cannot be created or destroyed.

What sign of free energy change ($\Delta G$) indicates that a chemical reaction is spontaneous?

A negative free energy change ($\Delta G < 0$)

What are the chemical products generated by the hydrolysis of ATP?

ADP, inorganic phosphate ($\text{P}_i$), and energy

How does a competitive inhibitor differ from a noncompetitive inhibitor in its mechanism of action?

A competitive inhibitor binds directly to the active site to block substrate binding, while a noncompetitive inhibitor binds to an alternate site to change the active site's shape.

In feedback inhibition of a metabolic pathway, what molecule typically binds to and shuts down an early enzyme?

The pathway's end product