BI110 Lecture 15 - Photosynthesis, Cell Cycle & Mitosis

This set of flashcards covers essential vocabulary and concepts from BI110 Lecture 15 regarding photosynthesis, cell cycle, and mitosis.

Photosynthesis

The process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods with the help of pigments.

Light Reactions

The first stage of photosynthesis where sunlight is captured and transformed into chemical energy as ATP and NADPH.

Calvin Cycle

The set of reactions in photosynthesis that uses ATP and NADPH to fix CO2 into carbohydrates.

Rubisco

An enzyme involved in the first major step of carbon fixation in the Calvin cycle that catalyzes the reaction of CO2 with RuBP.

Glyceraldehyde 3-Phosphate (G3P)

A higher energy molecule produced in the Calvin cycle that serves as a building block for sugars.

Carboxylase Activity

The enzymatic activity of Rubisco that fixes carbon dioxide during the Calvin cycle.

Oxygenase Activity

The activity of Rubisco that leads to photorespiration by consuming oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide.

Photorespiration

A process that consumes O2 and releases CO2, resulting in a net loss of carbon for plants.

Carbon-Concentrating Mechanisms

Strategies used by certain algae to increase CO2 concentration around Rubisco for photosynthesis.

Binary Fission

A method of asexual reproduction in prokaryotic organisms where a single cell divides into two identical daughter cells.

Cell Cycle

The series of events that take place in a cell leading to its division and duplication, composed of interphase and mitosis.

Interphase

The stage of the cell cycle in which the cell grows, replicates its DNA, and prepares for mitosis.

Mitosis

The process of nuclear division in eukaryotic cells that ensures equal distribution of chromosomes to daughter cells.

DNA Replication

The process of duplicating the DNA prior to cell division, occurring during the S phase of interphase.

Checkpoints

Regulatory mechanisms in the cell cycle that ensure the proper division and functioning of the cell.

Cyclins

Proteins whose concentrations vary throughout the cell cycle and regulate the progression of the cell cycle.

Cyclin-Dependent Kinases (CDKs)

Enzymes that, when activated by cyclins, regulate key processes in the cell cycle.

Mitotic Cell Cycle

The series of phases leading to cell division consisting of prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

Prophase

The initial stage of mitosis where chromosomes condense, the spindle apparatus forms, and the nuclear envelope begins to disintegrate.

Metaphase

The stage of mitosis in which chromosomes align at the spindle midpoint.

Anaphase

The stage of mitosis where sister chromatids are pulled apart to opposite ends of the cell.

Telophase

The final stage of mitosis where chromosomes decondense and new nuclear envelopes form around the separated sets of chromosomes.

Cytokinesis

The process of cytoplasmic division that separates the two daughter cells following mitosis.

Kinetochore

Protein structures on chromatids where the spindle fibers attach during cell division.

Cell Density

A factor that regulates the growth and division of cells through contact inhibition.

Asymmetric Cell Division

A type of cell division where one daughter cell retains stem cell properties, and the other becomes a differentiating progenitor.

Tumor

A mass of cells resulting from uncontrolled cell division that can be benign or malignant.

Oncogenes

Mutated genes that lead to cancer by promoting uncontrolled cell division.

Apoptosis

Programmed cell death that occurs as a normal part of development and homeostasis.

Temperature Effect

High temperatures increase photorespiration by affecting the solubility of O2 and CO2 in solution.

NADPH

A carrier of electrons and hydrogen used in the Calvin cycle for reducing power.

ATP

A molecule that provides energy for various cellular processes, produced during the light reactions of photosynthesis.

Telomere Shortening

The gradual loss of protective end segments of chromosomes that contributes to cellular senescence.

Cell Cycle Control

The regulatory mechanisms that ensure orderly progression through the cell cycle.

Contact Inhibition

A mechanism that prevents cells from dividing excessively when crowding occurs.

Cell Growth Phases

Stages of growth and DNA replication in the cell cycle consisting of G1, S, and G2 phases.