Terms and Subjects to Know for GRE Flashcards

968363030	Dicentric Chromosome	A chromosome having two centromeres, which is usually unstable.	0
968363031	Connexin	Protein involved in forming gap junctions.	1
968402443	The Pasteur Effect	An effect by which aerating yeast cell broth (and thus introducing more O2) caused the rate of growth of yeast to rise while the rate of fermentation decreased. This is due to the yeast switching from an anaerobic metabolism to an aerobic mechanism, generating energy much more efficiently.	2
968402444	Mitochondrial Ribosomes	Mitochondria do contain ribosomes, and this is evidence for the endosymbiont hypothesis because they are inhibited by the same kinds of drugs that inhibit prokaryote ribosomes.	3
968402445	Molar Extinction Coefficient (Also known as the Molar Absorption Coefficient)	Measures how strongly a liquid absorbs light at a specific wavelength. Units of the MAC are 1/M cm or L/M cm	4
968402446	Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors	A ligand gated ion channel in neurons that can not only be opened by acetylcholine but also nicotine. In this they differ from Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors	5
968402447	Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors	A GPCR located in neuronal cell walls which responds to the fungal metabolite muscarine.	6
968478490	The glyoxylate cycle	A modified version of the TCA cycle which occurs only in plants, bacteria, protists and fungi. It is an anabolic pathway which convert Acetyl-CoA to succinate for use in carbohydrate synthesis. In vertebrates, two missing enzymes, malate synthase and isocitrate lyase are missing and thus this pathway foes not typically function.	7
968478491	Urea Cycle (also known as the ornithine cycle)	Produces Urea (NH2)2CO from ammonia (NH3). Takes place in liver and kidneys. Smooth endo reticulum.	8
968478492	FRET (Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer)	A mechanism involving transfer of energy between two chromophores. Can be used in vivo to study interactions between two proteins. Transfer involves the lower energy chromophore emitting light. Can also be used to measure distance between domains on a protein. Incidence of FRET decays with the sixth power of distance between two chromophores.	9
968478493	epinephrine/isoproterenol/propranolol	All bind to Beta Adrenergic Receptors (which are GPCR receptors found in cell membranes) Activates fight or flight response. Epi is ligand, Iso is an agonist, and Propranolol is an antagonist	10
968478494	atomic mass unit = Dalton = amu = 1 g/mol	atomic mass unit = Dalton = amu = 1 g/mol	11
969857764	fmet tRNA	N-Formylmethionine (fMet). N-Formylmethionine (fMet) is a derivative of the amino acid methionine in which a formyl group has been added to the amino group. It is specifically used for initiation of protein synthesis from bacterial and organellar genes, and may be removed post-translationally.	12
969857765	BLAST e value means the chance that the sequences are the same by random chance, the smaller the e value, the less likely it is by chance, more likely they are related by a common ancestor.	BLAST e value means the chance that the sequences are the same by random chance, the smaller the e value, the less likely it is by chance, more likely they are related by a common ancestor.	13
969872110	Difference between virus and virion	Virus Any of various simple submicroscopic parasites of plants, animals, and bacteria that often cause disease and that consist essentially of a core of RNA or DNA surrounded by a protein coat. Unable to replicate without a host cell, viruses are typically not considered living organisms. Virion A complete viral particle, consisting of RNA or DNA surrounded by a protein shell and constituting the infective form of a virus.	14
969872111	cis and trans dominant mutations	a cis dominant mutation means the mutation must be on the same chromosome as the gene to exert its effects, while a trans dominant mutation can be on a differenct chromosome	15
969872112	polar mutation	A mutation that affects the transcription or translation of part of the gene or operon downstream of the mutant site. For example, nonsense mutations, frameshift mutations, and insertion sequence(IS)-induced mutations.	16
969872113	imino group	a NH group not linked to any acids	17
969872114	circular dichroism	a spectroscopy technique based on the observation that the absorption of light differs based on whether it is left or right circularly polarized. Can be applied to biochem because it can be used to identify helices and other secondary structures in proteins, which have unique signatures on CD	18
969970595	exopeptidase	a peptidase that cleaves one residue from either the carboxyl or amino terminal end.	19
970849649	microsome	In cell biology, microsomes are vesicle-like artifacts re-formed from pieces of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) when eukaryotic cells are broken-up in the laboratory; by definition, microsomes are not ordinarily present in living cells	20
971029495	1 angrstrom = 1x10^-10m	or .1 nm	21
972370757	N-terminal is first to be translated in proteins	Ditto	22
972385528	remember that for er targeted proteins, translocation and translation is simultaneous, whereas for chloroplasts and mitochondria, translation occurs in the cytosol, and then the protein is kept in an unfolded state by hydrolysis of ATP and THEN translated across inner and outer membranes.	remember that for er targeted proteins, translocation and translation is simultaneous, whereas for chloroplasts and mitochondria, translation occurs in the cytosol, and then the protein is kept in an unfolded state by hydrolysis of ATP and THEN translated across inner and outer membranes.	23
972410351	GPI looks like this		24
972689772	Dynamin required to pinch off clathrin coated vesicles from membranes, is a GTPase.	COPI/COPII vesicles do not require dynamin	25
972696686	Hsc70 important in removing clathrin coat following vesicle formation	heat shock protein 70	26
973434020	Initial product of C3 photosynthesis is 3-phosphoglycerate		27
973434021	initial product of C$ photosynthesis is malate		28
973449103	acetyl coA is used in the cytoplasm for fatty acid synthesis but formed in the mitochondria. the inner membrane of the mitochondria is impermeable to acetly coa, so it is transferred as....	citrate	29
973516255	hyperchromicity refers to the	increase in absorbance of light of a material	30
973516256	what supports endosymbiont hypothesis?	bacterial and mitochondrial ribosomes are inhibited by same drugs	31
973516257	the glyoxylate cycle is lacking in animals and is responsible for	gluconeogenesis from fatty acids	32
973516258	the urea cycle occurs in the	mitochondria and cytoplasm	33
973516259	difference between positive strand RNA viruses and minus strand RNA viruses	positive strand RNA viruses contain mRNA that can be immediately translated into protein, while negative sense RNA viruses contain negative strand RNA which much first be converted to positive strand RNA by RNA polymerase before it can be translated.	34
974559758	acid hydrolase	Any of a group of diverse hydrolytic enzymes (including proteases, nucleases, glycosidases, etc.) that have their optimal activity at acid pH (around 5.0) and are found in lysosomes.	35
974559759	acrosomal vesicle	Region at the head end of a sperm cell that contains a sac of hydrolytic enzymes used to digest the protective coating of the egg.	36
974559760	acrosome reaction	Reaction that occurs when a sperm starts to enter an egg, in which the contents of the acrosomal vesicle are released, helping the sperm to penetrate the zona pellucida.	37
974559761	activated carrier	Small diffusible molecule in cells that stores easilyexchangeable energy in the form of one or more energy-rich covalent bonds. Examples are ATP and NADPH. Also called a coenzyme.	38
974559762	adenomatous polyposis coli (APC)	Tumor suppressor protein that forms part of a protein complex that recruits free cytoplasmic -catenin and degrades it	39
974559763	affinity maturation	Progressive increase in the affinity of antibodies for the immunizing antigen with the passage of time after immunization.	40
974559764	allelic exclusion	The expression of an immunoglobulin chain (or T cell receptor chain) gene from only one of the two homologous loci present for that gene in the lymphocyte.	41
974559765	amide	Molecule containing a carbonyl group linked to an amine.	42
974559766	anchorage dependence	Dependence of cell growth on attachment to a substratum.	43
974559767	animal pole	In yolky eggs, that end free of yolk that cleaves more rapidly than the vegetal pole.	44
974559768	ankyrin	Protein mainly responsible for attaching the spectrin cytoskeleton to the red blood cell plasma membrane.	45
974559769	antenna complex	Part of a photosystem that captures light energy and channels it into the photochemical reaction center. It consists of protein complexes that bind large numbers of chlorophyll molecules and other pigments.	46
974559771	ARF protein	Monomeric GTPase responsible for regulating both COPI coat assembly and clathrin coat assembly at Golgi membranes.	47
974559772	avidity	Total binding strength of a polyvalent antibody with a polyvalent antigen.	48
974559773	axoneme	Bundle of microtubules and associated proteins that forms the core of a cilium or flagellum in a eucaryotic cell and is responsible for their movements.	49
974559774	biotin	Low-molecular-weight compound used as a coenzyme. Useful technically as a covalent label for proteins, allowing them to be detected by the egg protein avidin, which binds extremely tightly to biotin. (2 63.)	50
974559775	black membrane	Artificial planar lipid bilayer membrane.	51
974559776	blastomere	One of the cells formed by the cleavage of a fertilized egg	52
974559777	Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaM kinase)	Protein kinase whose activity is regulated by the binding of Ca2+-activated calmodulin (Ca2+/calmodulin), and which indirectly mediates the effects of Ca2+ by phosphorylation of other proteins.	53
974559779	caged molecule	Organic molecule designed to change into an active form when irradiated with light of a specific wavelength. An example is caged ATP	54
974559781	calmodulin	Ubiquitous calcium-binding protein whose binding to other proteins is governed by changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration. Its binding modifies the activity of many target enzymes and membrane transport proteins.	55
977212055	capacitation	Poorly understood process that sperm must go through in the female reproductive tract before they are competent for fertilization.	56
977212056	caspase	Any of a family of intracellular proteases that are involved in initiating the cellular events of apoptosis.	57
977212057	cell cortex	Specialized layer of cytoplasm on the inner face of the plasma membrane. In animal cells it is an actin-rich layer responsible for movements of the cell surface.	58
977212058	central lymphoid organ	(primary lymphoid organ) Lymphoid organ in which lymphocytes develop. In adult mammals these are the thymus and bone marrow.	59
977212059	chelate	Combine reversibly, usually with high affinity, with a metal ion such as iron, calcium, or magnesium.	60
977212060	chemiosmotic coupling	Mechanism in which a gradient of hydrogen ions (a pH gradient) across a membrane is used to drive an energy-requiring process, such as ATP production or the rotation of bacterial flagella	61
977212061	chiasma (chiasmata)	X-shaped connection visible between paired homologous chromosomes in division I of meiosis, and which represents a site of crossing-over	62
977212062	chromaffin cell	Cell that stores adrenaline in secretory vesicles and secretes it in times of stress when stimulated by the nervous system.	63
977212063	coiled-coil	Especially stable rodlike structure in proteins which is formed by two of these a helices coiled around each other.	64
977212064	cortical granule	Specialized secretory vesicle present under the plasma membrane of unfertilized eggs, including those of mammals; after fertilization it is involved in preventing the entry of further sperm.	65
977212065	crista (cristae)	(1) (2) One of the folds of the inner mitochondrial membrane. (3) A sensory structure in the inner ear.	66
977212066	cryptochrome	Flavoprotein responsive to blue light, found in both plants and animals. In animals it is involved in circadian rhythms.	67
977212067	dalton	Unit of molecular mass. Approximately equal to the mass of a hydrogen atom (1.66 × 10 24 g).	68
977212068	default pathway	Constitutive secretory pathway that automatically delivers material from the Golgi apparatus to the plasma membrane if no other sorting signals are present.	69
977212069	diplotene	Fourth stage of division I of meiosis, in which chiasmata are first seen.	70
977212070	dominant negative mutation	Mutation that dominantly affects the phenotype by means of a defective protein or RNA molecule that interferes with the function of the normal gene product in the same cell.	71
977212071	filopodium (filopodia)	Thin, spike-like protrusion with an actin filament core, generated on the leading edge of a crawling animal cell.	72
977212072	fluorescein	Fluorescent dye that fluoresces green when illuminated with blue light or ultraviolet light.	73
977212073	ganglioside	Any glycolipid having one or more sialic acid residues in its structure. Found in the plasma membrane of eucaryotic cells and especially abundant in nerve cells.	74
977212074	glutaraldehyde	Small reactive molecule with two aldehyde groups that is often used as a cross-linking fixative.	75
977212075	glycosaminoglycan (GAG)	Long, linear, highly charged polysaccharide composed of a repeating pair of sugars, one of which is always an amino sugar. Mainly found covalently linked to a protein core in extracellular matrix proteoglycans. Examples include chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, and heparin.	76
977212076	helix-loop-helix (HLH)	DNA-binding structural motif present in many gene regulatory proteins. Should not be confused with the helix-turn-helix.	77
977212077	heterocaryon	Cell with two or more genetically different nuclei; produced by the fusion of two or more different cells.	78
977212078	hnRNP protein (heterogeneous nuclear ribonuclear protein	Any of a group of proteins that assemble on newly synthesized RNA, organizing it into a more compact form.	79
977212079	Holliday junction	X-shaped structure observed in DNA undergoing recombination, in which the two DNA molecules are held together at the site of crossing-over, also called a cross-strand exchange.	80
977212080	IAP family	Intracellular protein inhibitors of apoptosis.	81
977212081	inhibitory neurotransmitter	Neurotransmitter that opens transmitter-gated Cl or K+ channels in the postsynaptic membrane of a nerve or muscle cell and thus tends to inhibit the generation of an action potential.	82
977212082	initiation factor	Protein that promotes the proper association of ribosomes with messenger RNA and is required for the initiation of protein synthesis.	83
977212083	intercalary regeneration	Type of regeneration that fills in the missing tissues when two mismatched parts of a structure are grafted together.	84
977212084	ionophore	Small hydrophobic molecule that dissolves in lipid bilayers and increases their permeability to specific inorganic ions.	85
977212085	mating-type locus (MAT locus)	In budding yeast, the locus that determines the mating type (a or a) of the haploid yeast cell.	86
977212086	microsome	Small vesicle that is derived from fragmented endoplasmic reticulum produced when cells are homogenized.	87
977212087	midbody	Structure formed at the end of cleavage that can persist for some time as a tether between the two daughter cells in animals.	88
977212088	mismatch repair	DNA repair process that corrects mismatched nucleotides inserted during DNA replication. A short stretch of newly synthesized DNA including the mismatched nucleotide is removed and replaced with the correct sequence with reference to the template strand.	89
977212089	morphogen	Signal molecule that can impose a pattern on a field of cells by causing cells in different places to adopt different fates.	90
977212090	Nernst equation	Quantitative expression that relates the equilibrium ratio of concentrations of an ion on either side of a permeable membrane to the voltage difference across the membrane. (See Panel 11 2, p. 634.)	91
977212091	nonsense-mediated mRNA decay	Mechanism for removing aberrant mRNAs containing in-frame internal stop codons before they can be translated	92
977212092	Notch	Receptor protein involved in many instances of choice of cell fate in animal development, for example in the specification of nerve cells from ectodermal epithelium. Its ligands are cell-surface proteins such as Delta and Serrate.	93
977212093	occluding junction	Type of cell junction that seals cells together in an epithelium, forming a barrier through which even small molecules cannot pass.	94
977212094	phragmoplast	Structure made of microtubules and actin filaments that forms in the prospective plane of division of a plant cell and guides formation of the cell plate.	95
977212095	primosome	A complex of DNA primase and DNA helicase that is formed on the lagging strand during DNA replication, improving the efficiency of replication.	96
977212096	quinone (Q)	Small, lipid soluble, mobile electron carrier molecule found in the respiratory and photosynthetic electron-transport chains.	97
977212097	rhodopsin	G-protein-linked light-sensitive receptor protein in the rod photoreceptor cells of the retina.	98
977212098	synteny	The presence in different species of regions of chromosomes with the same genes in the same order.	99
977212099	survival factor	Extracellular signal required for a cell to survive; in its absence the cell will undergo apoptosis and die.	100
977212100	stereocilium	A large, rigid microvillus found in "organ pipe" arrays on the apical surface of hair cells in the ear. A stereocilium contains a bundle of actin filaments, rather than microtubules, and is thus not a true cilium.	101
977212101	spectrin	Abundant protein associated with the cytosolic side of the plasma membrane in red blood cells, forming a rigid network that supports the membrane.	102
977212102	V gene segment	Gene segment encoding most of the variable region of the polypeptide chains of immunoglobulins and T cell receptors.	103
977212103	vegetal pole	The end at which most of the yolk is located in an animal egg. The end opposite the animal pole.	104
977212104	zona pellucida	Glycoprotein layer on the surface of the unfertilized egg. It is often a barrier to fertilization across species.	105
977333492	cryptochrome	are a class of blue light-sensitive flavoproteins found in plants and animals. Cryptochromes are involved in the circadian rhythms of plants and animals, and in the sensing of magnetic fields in a number of species	106
978785264	Stereoisomers	same chemical bonds, different stereochemistry	107
978785265	Enantiomers	mirror image stereoisomers	108
978785266	Diastereomers	stereoisomers that are not mirror images	109
978785267	solvation layer	shell of water around a hydrophobic molecule	110
978785268	competitive enzyme inhibition	binds active site, blocking catalysis o Vmax same, Km increases (plots cross)	111
978785269	uncompetitive inhibition	un-competitive inhibition - bind to E5 complex at separate site o Vmax & Km lowered (plots parallel)	112
978785270	mixed inhibition	binds alternative site wi or wlo substrate o effects both V max & Km	113
978785271	noncompetitive inhibition	very unusual . 0 Vmax lowered, Km same (plots cross)	114
978785272	adjacent bases are separated by 3.4 angstroms and 36 degrees of rotation, therefore the helix structure repeats itself after 10 bases and 34 angrstroms (3.4nm)	adjacent bases are separated by 3.4 angstroms and 36 degrees of rotation, therefore the helix structure repeats itself after 10 bases and 34 angrstroms (3.4nm)	115
981775194	elastase	protease cuts after small hydrophobic aa's breaks down elastin, collagen	116
981775195	trypsin	cut carboxyl of lysine or arginine (positive charged)	117
981775196	chymotrypsin	interesting - synthesized as chymotrypsinogen which is then hydrolzed into two parts which can auto activate each other. cuts after large hydrophobic (aromatic)	118
981775197	scissile bond	covalent chemical bond that can be broken by an enzyem	119
981775198	urea(ornithine) cycle takes place	almost all in liver	120
981775199	calmodulin	is a calcium-binding messenger protein expressed in all eukaryotic cells. CaM is a multifunctional intermediate messenger protein that transduces calcium signals by binding calcium ions and then modifying its interactions with various target proteins.[1]	121
982424532	protamine	packing material of DNA in sperm cels (instead of histones). allow for tighter packing of DNA, rich in arginine (positive charges). 10-15% in sperm still packed with histones (used for earyl development)	122
983485304	capacitation of sperm	occurs in the vagina in repsonse to HCO3-, which activates a solubley andenyly cyclase in sperm cells	123
983485305	Gibbs-Donnan effect	is a name for the behavior of charged particles near a semi-permeable membrane that sometimes fail to distribute evenly across the two sides of the membrane.[1] The usual cause is the presence of a different charged substance that is unable to pass through the membrane and thus creates an uneven electrical charge.[2] For example, the large anionic proteins in blood plasma are not permeable to capillary walls. Because small cations are attracted, but are not bound to the proteins, small anions will cross capillary walls away from the anionic proteins more readily than small cations.	124
983485306	C0t analysis	a technique based on the principles of DNA reassociation kinetics, is a biochemical technique that measures how much repetitive DNA is in a DNA sample such as a genome.[1] It is used to study genome structure and organization and has also been used to simplify the sequencing of genomes that contain large amounts of repetitive sequence.[2] ContentsSince a sequence of single-stranded DNA needs to find its complementary strand to reform a double helix, common sequences renature more rapidly than rare sequences. Indeed, the rate at which a sequence will reassociate is proportional to the number of copies of that sequence in the DNA sample. A sample with a highly-repetitive sequence will renature rapidly, while complex sequences will renature slowly.	125
983493193	Epistasis	a phenomenon in which the expression of one gene depends on the presence of one or more 'modifier genes'. A gene whose phenotype is expressed is called epistatic, while one whose phenotype is altered or suppressed is called hypostatic. If two epistatic genes A and B are mutated, and each mutation by itself produces a unique phenotype but the two mutations together show the same phenotype as the gene A mutation, then gene A is epistatic to gene B.	126
983493194	Maternal effect	A maternal effect is a situation where the phenotype of an organism is determined not only by the environment it experiences and its genotype, but also by the environment and genotype of its mother. In genetics, maternal effects occur when an organism shows the phenotype expected from the genotype of the mother, irrespective of its own genotype, often due to the mother supplying mRNA or proteins to the egg. Maternal effects can also be caused by the maternal environment independent of genotype, sometimes controlling the size, sex, or behaviour of the offspring. These adaptive maternal effects lead to phenotypes of offspring that increase their fitness. Further, it introduces the concept of phenotypic plasticity, an important evolutionary concept. It has been proposed that maternal effects are important for the evolution of adaptive responses to environmental heterogeneity.	127
983493195	gastrin	is a peptide hormone that stimulates secretion of gastric acid (HCl) by the parietal cells of the stomach and aids in gastric motility	128
984081098	blue white screen	The blue-white screen is a screening technique that allows for the rapid and convenient detection of recombinant bacteria in vector-based molecular cloning experiments. DNA of interest is ligated into a vector. The vector is then transformed into competent cell (bacteria), and the competent cells are grown in the presence of X-gal. Cells transformed with vectors containing recombinant DNA will produce white colonies; cells transformed with non-recombinant plasmids (i.e. only the vector) grow into blue colonies.	129