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DAT Prep/Biology/Cell and Molecular Biology

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Cell Membranes

Membrane Structure and Transport

Biological and chemical foundations

Characteristics of life and levels of biological organization Homeostasis and negative versus positive feedback Atoms, ions, isotopes, and chemical bonds Properties of water: polarity, hydrogen bonding, cohesion, and adhesion Acids, bases, pH, buffers, and the logarithmic pH scale Carbon chemistry, isomers, and functional groups Carbohydrates: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides Lipids: fats, phospholipids, steroids, and waxes Amino acids and the four levels of protein structure Nucleotides, DNA, RNA, and ATP Dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis

Experimental cell biology

Scientific method, hypotheses, theories, and experimental design Independent variables, dependent variables, controls, and constants Replication, sample size, sources of error, and interpreting graphs Light, fluorescence, scanning electron, and transmission electron microscopy Cell fractionation, centrifugation, cell culture, and radioactive tracers

Cell structure and function

Prokaryotic versus eukaryotic cells Plasma membrane and the fluid-mosaic model Simple diffusion and concentration gradients Osmosis, water potential, and aquaporins Tonicity: isotonic, hypotonic, and hypertonic solutions Facilitated diffusion, channels, and carrier proteins Active transport, ATP-driven pumps, and cotransport Endocytosis, phagocytosis, pinocytosis, and exocytosis Nucleus, nucleolus, chromosomes, and ribosomes Rough ER, smooth ER, Golgi apparatus, and vesicular trafficking Lysosomes, peroxisomes, vacuoles, and intracellular digestion Mitochondria and chloroplast structure Cytoskeleton: microtubules, microfilaments, and intermediate filaments Cilia, flagella, centrosomes, and motor proteins Extracellular matrix and cell junctions Cell size, compartmentalization, and surface-area-to-volume ratio

Cell communication

Direct, paracrine, autocrine, synaptic, and endocrine signaling Intracellular versus cell-surface receptors Signal-transduction pathways and phosphorylation cascades Second messengers: cAMP, calcium, IP₃, and DAG Signal amplification, termination, and pathway integration

Enzymes, thermodynamics, and metabolism

Enzyme structure, active sites, and induced fit Activation energy and factors affecting enzyme activity Competitive, noncompetitive, and irreversible inhibition Allosteric regulation, cooperativity, and feedback inhibition Cofactors, coenzymes, and vitamins First and second laws of thermodynamics Enthalpy, entropy, and Gibbs free energy Endergonic versus exergonic reactions ATP hydrolysis, energy coupling, and phosphorylation Oxidation-reduction reactions and electron carriers Cellular respiration overview and substrate-level phosphorylation Glycolysis Pyruvate oxidation and acetyl-CoA Citric acid/Krebs cycle Electron-transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation Chemiosmosis and ATP synthase Fermentation and anaerobic respiration Metabolism of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins Regulation and integration of metabolic pathways

Photosynthesis

Chloroplasts, pigments, and absorption spectra Photosystems and the light-dependent reactions Linear versus cyclic electron flow Chemiosmosis and photophosphorylation Calvin cycle and carbon fixation Photorespiration C₃, C₄, and CAM plants

Cell reproduction

Chromosome organization, homologs, chromatids, and ploidy Cell cycle, cyclins, checkpoints, and growth factors Mitosis and cytokinesis Meiosis I Meiosis II Crossing over, independent assortment, and random fertilization Mitosis versus meiosis Apoptosis, senescence, cancer, and loss of cell-cycle control Integrated cell biology problem solving

Topics

Direct, paracrine, autocrine, synaptic, and endocrine signaling Intracellular versus cell-surface receptors Signal-transduction pathways and phosphorylation cascades Second messengers: cAMP, calcium, IP₃, and DAG Signal amplification, termination, and pathway integration

Cell communication

Signal amplification, termination, and pathway integration

Summary

Practice Questions

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