Bacterial Metabolism and Genetics Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering bacterial metabolism, DNA replication, protein synthesis, mutations, and genetic transfer based on Unit 2 lecture objectives.

Metabolism

The total of all energy processing reactions within a bacterial cell, divided into anabolism and catabolism.

Anabolism

The phase of metabolism that involves building larger molecules; typically associated with endergonic processes.

Catabolism

The phase of metabolism that involves breaking down molecules; typically associated with exergonic processes.

Exergonic

A term describing chemical reactions that release energy.

Endergonic

A term describing chemical reactions that require an input of energy.

Activation energy

The energy barrier of a reaction, which enzymes function to lower.

Substrate

The reactant molecule upon which an enzyme specifically acts.

Active site

The specific region of an enzyme's structure where the substrate binds.

Induced fit

A mechanism where the enzyme structure adjusts slightly to accommodate the substrate for a better fit.

Terminal electron acceptor

The final molecule that receives electrons at the end of the electron transport system respiration process.

Proton Motive Force

The force generated by the electron transport system which facilitates chemiosmosis and ATP production.

Chemiosmosis

The movement of ions across a selectively permeable membrane, down their electrochemical gradient, specifically to generate ATP.

ATP Synthetase

The enzyme responsible for producing ATP during oxidative phosphorylation.

Oxidative phosphorylation

The process of producing ATP using energy derived from the redox reactions of an electron transport chain.

Substrate-level phosphorylation

The direct transfer of a phosphate group to ADP from a reactive intermediate to form ATP.

Redox Reactions

Chemical reactions involving the transfer of electrons, comprised of oxidation and reduction reactions.

Oxidation

The loss of electrons from a molecule during a redox reaction.

Reduction

The gain of electrons by a molecule during a redox reaction.

NADH and $FADH_2$

Molecules that serve as key electron carriers facilitating the energy harvesting process.

Fermentation

A process used to recycle NADH back to $NAD^+$ so that glycolysis can continue and provide a small amount of ATP in the absence of oxygen.

Gene

A specific sequence of DNA that encodes for a functional product.

Chromosome

A cellular structure composed of DNA and proteins; bacterial chromosomes have distinct structures and replication processes.

Genetic code

The set of rules by which information encoded in genetic material is translated into proteins.

Genotype

The genetic makeup of an organism.

Phenotype

The expressed or observable physical characteristics of an organism.

Helicase

The enzyme responsible for unzipping the DNA double helix during replication.

DNA Polymerase III

The enzyme that adds new nucleotides to the building DNA strand during replication.

DNA Polymerase I

The enzyme that removes RNA primers and replaces them with DNA during replication.

Ligase

The enzyme that joins DNA fragments together, particularly Okazaki fragments on the lagging strand.

Primase

The enzyme that synthesizes the RNA primer needed to start DNA replication.

Leading strand

The strand of DNA that is synthesized continuously in the $5'$ to $3'$ direction.

Lagging strand

The strand of DNA that is synthesized discontinuously in the $3'$ to $5'$ direction relative to the fork.

Semi-conservative

The model of DNA replication where each new double-stranded DNA contains one original parent strand and one newly synthesized strand.

Antiparallel

A term describing DNA strands that run in opposite directions ($5'$ to $3'$ and $3'$ to $5'$).

Nucleotide

The basic building block of DNA consisting of a deoxyribose sugar, a nitrogenous base, and a phosphate group.

Origin of replication

The specific site on a chromosome where the process of DNA replication begins.

Replication fork

The Y-shaped point at which the DNA strands are separated and new strands are synthesized.

Okazaki fragment

Short segments of DNA synthesized on the lagging strand.

Transcription

The process of copying a DNA sequence into an RNA sequence.

Translation

The process where a ribosome decodes mRNA to produce a specific protein.

Central Dogma of Molecular Biology

The framework describing the flow of genetic information: DNA points to RNA, and RNA points to Protein.

Start codon

The specific mRNA sequence that signals the beginning of translation.

Stop codon

The specific mRNA sequence that signals the end of translation.

Operon

A model of gene expression regulation in bacteria, such as the Lactose (Lac) and Arginine (Arg) operons.

Silent mutation

A point mutation that results in no change to the amino acid being produced.

Missense mutation

A point mutation that causes a change in the amino acid produced for a specific codon.

Nonsense mutation

A point mutation that changes a normal codon into a premature stop codon.

Frameshift mutation

A mutation involving the insertion or deletion of nucleotides that alters the reading frame of the genetic sequence.

Conjugation

A mechanism of genetic transfer between bacteria that requires direct physical contact.

Transformation

A mechanism of genetic transfer where a bacterium takes up DNA from its surrounding environment.

Transduction

A mechanism of genetic transfer between bacteria mediated by a virus, categorizable as generalized or specialized.