key words bio

Centrioles

Structures found in the cytoplasm made of micro tubules that produce spindle fibres during mitosis

Chloroplasts

Organelles found in plants and algae that are the site of photosynthesis

Cilia

Small hair like structures that project from cell surface

Cytoskeleton

A mesh of protein fibres found in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells used for structural support and intracellular transport

Differental staining

Using multiple different stains to distinguish different parts of a specimen

Eukaryotic cell

Cell containing a nucleus and membrane bound organelles

Flagella

Whip-like structure used for cell movement

Golgi apparatus

Organelle found in eukaryotic cells involved in modification and packaging of proteins

Light microscope

Uses lenses to magnify visible light reflecting off a specimen

Lysosomes

Vesicles containing hydrolytic enzymes

Magnification

How much bigger and image appears

Mitochondrion

Site of aerobic respiration

Nuclear envelope

A double membrane that surrounds the nucleus

Nucleolus

Structure found inside the nucleus that contains proteins and RNA, involved in synthesising new ribosomes

Nucleus

Stores genetic material as chromosomes

Plasma membrane

Partially permeable phospholipid bilayer that surrounds the cell

Prokaryotic cell

cell that does not contain membrane bound organelles or a nucleus

Resolution

Ability to distinguish two different points in a specimen

Ribosomes

Involved in protein synthesis

Rough endoplasmic reticulum

Membrane bound organelle involved in synthesis and packaging of proteins

Scanning electron microscope

Passes a beam of electrons over the surface of a specimen

Smooth endoplasmic reticulum

Membrane bound organelle involved in lipid synthesis

Transmission electron microscope

Passes a beam of electrons through a sample

Adhesion

Attraction between water molecules and surfaces they are in contact with

Amylopectin

Branched polysaccharide made up of alpha glucose monomers joined by a 1-6 glycosidic bond

Amylose

An unbranched polysaccharide made up of alpha glucose monomers joined by a-1,4 glycosidic bonds

Anions

An ion with a negative charge

Benedict’s test

Biochemical test used to detect the presence of a reducing sugar in a solution

Biuret test

Used to test for solutions containing protein

Cations

Ions with a positive charge

Cellulose

Made up of beta glucose joined by 1,4 glycosidic bonds, main component of cell wall

Chromatography

Technique used to separate different molecules in a solution

Cohesion

Property of water molecules that causes them to stick together

Collagen

Fibrous protein that provides strength and makes up connective tissue

Condensation reaction

Joins two molecules together involving the elimination of a molecule of water

Conjugated protein

Protein with a prosthetic group bound to it

Elastin

Fibrous protein that allows tissues and structures to stretch and return to their original shape

Fibrous protein

Long chain proteins that are generally insoluble in water and have structural roles

Globular proteins

Spherical shaped proteins that are generally water soluble and have metabolic roles

Glucose

Heroes monosaccharide

Glycogen

Highly branched polysaccharide used as the main energy storage molecule in animals and is made up of alpha glucose monomers joined by a-1,4 glycosidic bonds

Haemoglobin

Conjugated globular protein used to transport oxygen. Made up of four polypeptide chains each containing a harm prosthetic group

Hydrogen bond

Weak bond formed between slightly positive hydrogen and another slightly negative atom

Hydrolysis

Breaking a chemical bond involving use of a water molecule

Insulin

Globular protein hormone made in the pancreas in response to detection of high glucose levels

Iodine test

Test for solutions containing starch

Keratin

Fibrous protein that provides strength to hair and nails

Lactose

Disaccharide made of glucose and galactose

Lipid emulsion test

Test for lipids that produces a cloudy emulsion when they are present

Maltose

Disaccharide made of two molecules of glucose

Monomer

Individual unit that can be bonded to make a polymer

Phospholipid

Molecule of glycerol bonded to two fatty acid molecules and a phosphate group

Polymer

Molecule made from many repeating monomers

Primary structure

Individual sequence of amino acids

Quaternary structure

Protein with multiple polypeptide chains

Ribose

Penrose monosaccharide which composes the backbone of RNA

Saturated fatty acid

Contains only single bonds between carbon atoms

Secondary structure

Folding of primary structure into alpha helices or beta pleated sheets

Solvent

Liquid that solutes can dissolve in

Starch

Polysaccharide used for energy storage in plants that is made up of alpha glucose joined together in the form of amylose and amylopectin

Sucrose

Disaccharide made of glucose and fructose

Tertiary structure

The way the protein folds to make a three dimensional structure

Triglyceride

Lipid formed from a molecule of glycerol joined by ester bonds to three fatty acid molecules

Unsaturated fatty acid

At least one double bond in the carbon chain

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)

Nucleotide consisting of a molecule of ribose joined to the nitrogenous base adenine and three phosphate group

Dengenerate (genetic code)

Some amino acids can be coded for by multiple different codons

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

A double stranded polynucleotide that contains the genetic material of an organism and is joined together by phosphodiester bonds

DNA polymerase

Enzyme that catalyses the formation of phosphodiester bonds between nucleotides during synthesis of a new DNA strand

RNA polymerase

Enzyme that catalyses formation of phosphodiester bonds during synthesis of a new RNA strand

Helicase

Catalyses the unwinding and unzipping of DNA in many processes like replication and transcription

mRNA

Carries genetic information from the DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes

Non-overlapping (genetic code)

Used to describe that each base of only part of one codon and that each codon is read one at a time in order

Nucleotide

Monomers from which nucleus acids are made that consists of a Penrose sugar, nitrogenous base and phosphate group

Phosphodiester bond

Joins nucleotides together to create polynucleotides

Purines

Class of nitrogenous bases made up of two rings, adenine and guanine are members

Pyrimidines

Nitrogenous bases made up of a single ring that cytosine, thymine and uracil are members of

rRNA

RNA that makes up ribosomes

RNA nucleotide

Monomer that makes up RNA , ribose, nitrogenous base and a phosphate group

Semi-conservative replication

Replication of DNA to produce two new DNA molecules which both contain one new strand and one old strand from the original DNA molecule

Transcription

Synthesising a new mRNA strand from a molecule of DNA

tRNA

Type of RNA that has three hairpin loops, an anticodon for attachment to the mRNA codon and an amino acid binding site, used to carry amino acids to the ribosome

Translation

Protein synthesis where complementary tRNAs carrying amino acids are brought to each codon in an mRNA molecule

Triplet

Used to describe DNA into three base long codons that are read together

Universal (genetic code)

The same codons code for the same amino acids in all organisms

Activation energy

Amount of energy needed for a reaction to happen

Active site

Specific region on an enzyme where the substrate binds and reaction takes place

Amylase

An enzyme that catalyses the extracellular breakdown of starch

Enzyme-product complex

Temporary complex formed after the enzyme has catalysed the reaction but before the products have left the active site of the enzyme

Enzyme-substrate complex

Temporary complex formed when the substrate binds to the active site of the enzyme

Extracellular reaction

Reaction occurs outside of cells

Inactive precursor

Inactive form of an enzyme that cannot carry out its function until it is activated

Induced fit hypothesis

Enzyme undergoes subtle conformational changes to fit the substrate better

Intracellular reaction

A reaction that occurs within cells

Lock and key hypothesis

Model of enzyme action that describes how the enzyme will only fit a substrate that has the correct complementary shape to the active site

Metabolism

Sum of all chemical reactions taking place in a cell

Non-competitive inhibitor

An inhibitor which binds to the allosteric site and prevents enzyme from functioning

Prosthetic group

Type of cofactor bound tightly to an enzyme with strong interactions

Substrate specificity

Ability of an enzyme to catalyse only a specific reaction which have substrates complementary to the active site of the enzyme

Temperature coefficient

Calculating an increase in reaction rate after a ten degree temp increase

Trypsin

Enzyme that catalyses extracellular breakdown of proteins