Biochem Flashcards (Block 1.1)

45 free spaced-repetition flashcards for Biochem, Block 1.1: Biology Block: Cell and Hematology. Review what's due each day; works offline.

Cards in this deck

• What are the six major macromolecule/micromolecule categories in the body, and which three are the only calorie-yielding ones?
• What is the monomeric building block of each major macromolecule: protein, carbohydrate, and lipid?
• In the catabolism/anabolism cycle, what energy currency links the two pathways?
• What are the three stages of catabolism of the major energy nutrients, from macromolecule to final small products?
• What distinguishes a glucogenic amino acid from a ketogenic one?
• What is the basic structural formula of an amino acid?
• How does a peptide bond form between two amino acids, and what small molecule is released?
• Name the four levels of protein structure and what each describes.
• What three macromolecule classes make up the cell membrane, and roughly in what proportion?
• What three lipid types make up the membrane's lipid bilayer?
• What is the functional difference between an integral membrane protein and a peripheral membrane protein?
• List the three broad functions of the cell membrane described in this lecture.
• The SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein and the human ACE2 receptor illustrate what general biochemical principle?
• Name seven functional categories of proteins in the body, with one example each.
• What are the three major plasma protein fractions, and their approximate normal blood concentrations?
• What are albumin's two main physiological roles?
• Why does hypoalbuminemia cause edema, ascites, or pleural effusion?
• Name four clinical causes of hypoalbuminemia mentioned in this lecture.
• On serum protein electrophoresis, which protein band migrates fastest and ends up farthest from the origin — albumin or globulin — and why?
• What is gamma globulin, and what are its five immunoglobulin (Ig) classes with one distinguishing feature each?
• In a new infection, which immunoglobulin rises first, and which follows?
• What are the two steps of protein synthesis from a gene, and where in the cell does each occur?
• Name an antibiotic that inhibits bacterial translation initiation, one that blocks the 30S ribosomal subunit, and one that blocks the 50S subunit.
• What are the three components of a nucleotide, and what is the bond between the nitrogenous base and the sugar called?
• What bond links successive nucleotides together to form the DNA backbone?
• What is the one gene–one enzyme hypothesis, and how was it later broadened?
• What are the four landmark structural regions of a chromosome?
• What is the relationship between a gene, DNA, and a chromosome?
• How many chromosomes does a person with Down syndrome have, and with Turner syndrome?
• What is a nucleosome, and why does DNA need this kind of packaging?
• What is a genome, and approximately how large is the human genome?
• Roughly how long is the DNA in a single human cell if stretched end to end, and how does that compare across the whole body?
• What are the two types of DNA in a human cell, and where is each found?
• Describe human mitochondrial DNA: size, shape, copy number, and what fraction of mitochondrial proteins it actually encodes.
• Does a mature human red blood cell contain DNA? What about a bird's red blood cell?
• What is the difference between DNA replication and PCR?
• Name the three stages of one PCR cycle, and roughly how much does the DNA quantity increase after n cycles?
• How does RT-PCR test for an RNA virus like SARS-CoV-2, when PCR itself only copies DNA?
• Compare Southern blot DNA testing to PCR-based DNA testing.
• What happens during transcription, and where does it occur in a eukaryotic cell?
• What is splicing, and what is mature mRNA made of once splicing is complete?
• What structural feature marks the 3' end of a mature mRNA, and what is it for?
• What roles do mRNA and tRNA each play in translation?
• What is the start codon, which amino acid does it always specify, and how does translation end?
• What are the three sub-phases shared by transcription, translation, and protein synthesis as a whole?