BIOL1002 Revision Notes
Week 1
Lecture 1
Foundations of Biology
1. Evidence for Evoluton
1. Fossil record: observable increase in complexity with passage of tme
- Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny: development is a fast acton
replay of ancestry
- Homology: derived from a common ancestral feature, e.g.
2. Biogeography: unique Australian flora & fauna due to protracted evoluton
on isolated contnent
3. Unity of biochemical processes
Darwin’s Observatons
1. Individuals in a populaton vary → fitness
2. Pass on traits (fitness) to ofspring → heredity
3. Never enough resources → competton for survival & reproducton
= natural selecton
Evoluton is a two-step process:
1. Variability
2. Ordering that variability by natural selecton
Gene variaton leads to ordering the variability by natural selecton
Environment changes cause populatons to develop
2. Unity of Biochemical Processes
All organisms share the main biochemical reactons
Retained by evoluton:
1. All organisms have DNA – contains instructons on how that organism will develop.
2. Organisms also have proteins – the hardware to carry out the instructons.
Further evidence for evoluton.
3. Cell Theory
- All known living things are made up of one or more cells (excl. viruses)
- All living cells arise from pre-existng cells by division
- The cell is the fundamental unit of structure and functon in all living organisms
- Cells contain hereditary informaton (DNA) which is passed from cell to cell during cell division.
DNA contains the ‘history’ of evoluton – paterns
Gene sequencing - determining the precise order of nucleotdes within a DNA molecule
gene sequences can be compared to determine relatonships between organisms
Main groups of cells: Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes
Eukaryotes, Bacteria and Archaea
,BIOL1002 Revision Notes
Lecture 2
Prokaryotic Cells
Life depends on prokaryotes:
1. Archaea allow herbivores to break down the sugars in plants
2. Bacteria in intestnes help to make essental vitamins
3. Harmless Bacteria on skin protect us from atack by other invaders
4. Prokaryotes generate much of the biosphere
5. Many food products rely on prokaryotes (fermentaton)
Note: Bacteria can cause disease, however Archaea do not
Prokaryotc cells:
- Usually microscopic (1-10µm)
- DNA is single, circular chromosome (nucleoid)
- No proteins atached to DNA in Bacteria
- Proteins (‘histones’) atached to DNA (Archaea)
- Peptdoglycan wall
- divide by binary fission
Constrictng ring pinches parent cell into two
Bacteria cells: one surrounding membrane is Gram +,
two surrounding membranes is Gram –
Note: Bacteria has no histone; Archaea and Eukaryotes have histone
bound to the DNA.
Ribosomes
- All cells have ribosomes
- Small machines composed of numerous proteins and several RNAs
- Site of translaton
- Take mRNA sequence and ‘translate’ it to a protein sequence
- Prokaryotc ribosomes are small (70s, 17-23nm)
- Eukaryotc ribosomes are larger (00s, 25-30nm)
Prokaryotc Flagellum
- Long thin filament
- Corkscrew actoo
- One of only two rotatng shaf designs in biology
- Composed of flagellio proteio
Features of Eukaryotes not found in Prokaryotes
- Division of labour in the cytoplasm
- Nucleus & histones
- Endoplasmic Retculum
- Golgi complex
- Cytoskeleton
- Microtubules
- Microfilaments
- Intermediate filaments
-Motor proteins & movement
,BIOL1002 Revision Notes
Lecture 3
Eukaryotic Cells
Eukaryotc Nucleus
- Surrounded by a double membrane or nuclear envelope
- Presence of nuclear pores (75nm in diameter)
- DNA in long, linear strands covered with histones = chromatn
- Diferent organisms have diferent numbers of chromosomes
- Nucleolus = subregion of nucleus where ribosomal genes are transcribed
- RNA transcribed from DNA leaves nucleus via pores and goes out into the cell to be translated
Pores
- Lined with proteins and atached to lamina (nuclear skeleton)
- Evenly spaced over nuclear envelope
- Traffic of proteins and RNAs in/out of nucleus
- Located at site where inner membrane curls around to become outer membrane
Note: Endoplasmic retculum is contnuous with nuclear envelope – extends throughout the cell.
Endoplasmic Retculum
- Consists of membrane cisternae that ramify through the cytoplasm. The result is internal compartments
and channels
- The ER is a dynamic structure, ever changing in structure and functons
- with ribosomes = rough ER – neat, folded structure
- no ribosomes = smooth ER – tubular structure
Ribosomes dock on ER to…
The protein can then be transported to Golgi complex.
Intracellular membranes
1. Provide a surface for biochemical reactons.
2. To establish compartments to prevent mixing.
3. To provide for transport of materials within the cell, from the cell to its exterior, or from the cell to an
adjacent cell
Golgi Complex
- Consists of flatened stacks of cisternae called Golgi bodies
- Golgi bodies are functonal extensions of the ER
- involved in collecton, packaging, and distributon of molecules
synthesised elsewhere in the cell
- Almost all the polysaccharide in cells is manufactured within the
Golgi bodies
- The polysaccharide may be atached to either protein or lipid
molecules in the Golgi bodies
Note: Polysaccharides on proteins may be used to distnguish between cells that are self and non-self
The Cytoskeleton
- Allows eukaryotes to be much larger than prokaryotes
- Act as a form of scafolding or as structural elements within the cytoplasm of cells
- Involved in certain cell movements
, BIOL1002 Revision Notes
Acto Iotermediate Microtubule
Monomers can be assembled Composed of vimentn 13 protofilaments form a
and polymers can be hollow cylinder
disassembled – controlled by Spindle fibres are microtubules
gelsolin
Myosin Predominately statc Kinesin
Dynein
Muscle contractons, Intra- and inter-cellular Kioesio – moves vesicles along
Cytoplasmic streaming, stabilisaton microtubules (Kenny)
Microvilli Dyoeio – slides one
microtubule against another,
drives cilia and flagella beatng
Glycosylaton – adding a sugar molecule to an organic molecule, especially protein
Glycoprotein – a protein with a sugar atached to it
Feature Prokaryotes Eukaryotes
Bacteria Archaea Eukarya
Single/mult-celled Single-celled Single/mult-celled
Chromosome Circular Linear
structure
Chromosome number One Multple
Histones None Bound to DNA
Cell Division Binary Fission Meiosis and Mitosis
Autotrophism
Nitrogen fixaton
Ribosomes Smaller – 70s Larger – 00s
Week 2
Lecture 4
Week 1
Lecture 1
Foundations of Biology
1. Evidence for Evoluton
1. Fossil record: observable increase in complexity with passage of tme
- Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny: development is a fast acton
replay of ancestry
- Homology: derived from a common ancestral feature, e.g.
2. Biogeography: unique Australian flora & fauna due to protracted evoluton
on isolated contnent
3. Unity of biochemical processes
Darwin’s Observatons
1. Individuals in a populaton vary → fitness
2. Pass on traits (fitness) to ofspring → heredity
3. Never enough resources → competton for survival & reproducton
= natural selecton
Evoluton is a two-step process:
1. Variability
2. Ordering that variability by natural selecton
Gene variaton leads to ordering the variability by natural selecton
Environment changes cause populatons to develop
2. Unity of Biochemical Processes
All organisms share the main biochemical reactons
Retained by evoluton:
1. All organisms have DNA – contains instructons on how that organism will develop.
2. Organisms also have proteins – the hardware to carry out the instructons.
Further evidence for evoluton.
3. Cell Theory
- All known living things are made up of one or more cells (excl. viruses)
- All living cells arise from pre-existng cells by division
- The cell is the fundamental unit of structure and functon in all living organisms
- Cells contain hereditary informaton (DNA) which is passed from cell to cell during cell division.
DNA contains the ‘history’ of evoluton – paterns
Gene sequencing - determining the precise order of nucleotdes within a DNA molecule
gene sequences can be compared to determine relatonships between organisms
Main groups of cells: Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes
Eukaryotes, Bacteria and Archaea
,BIOL1002 Revision Notes
Lecture 2
Prokaryotic Cells
Life depends on prokaryotes:
1. Archaea allow herbivores to break down the sugars in plants
2. Bacteria in intestnes help to make essental vitamins
3. Harmless Bacteria on skin protect us from atack by other invaders
4. Prokaryotes generate much of the biosphere
5. Many food products rely on prokaryotes (fermentaton)
Note: Bacteria can cause disease, however Archaea do not
Prokaryotc cells:
- Usually microscopic (1-10µm)
- DNA is single, circular chromosome (nucleoid)
- No proteins atached to DNA in Bacteria
- Proteins (‘histones’) atached to DNA (Archaea)
- Peptdoglycan wall
- divide by binary fission
Constrictng ring pinches parent cell into two
Bacteria cells: one surrounding membrane is Gram +,
two surrounding membranes is Gram –
Note: Bacteria has no histone; Archaea and Eukaryotes have histone
bound to the DNA.
Ribosomes
- All cells have ribosomes
- Small machines composed of numerous proteins and several RNAs
- Site of translaton
- Take mRNA sequence and ‘translate’ it to a protein sequence
- Prokaryotc ribosomes are small (70s, 17-23nm)
- Eukaryotc ribosomes are larger (00s, 25-30nm)
Prokaryotc Flagellum
- Long thin filament
- Corkscrew actoo
- One of only two rotatng shaf designs in biology
- Composed of flagellio proteio
Features of Eukaryotes not found in Prokaryotes
- Division of labour in the cytoplasm
- Nucleus & histones
- Endoplasmic Retculum
- Golgi complex
- Cytoskeleton
- Microtubules
- Microfilaments
- Intermediate filaments
-Motor proteins & movement
,BIOL1002 Revision Notes
Lecture 3
Eukaryotic Cells
Eukaryotc Nucleus
- Surrounded by a double membrane or nuclear envelope
- Presence of nuclear pores (75nm in diameter)
- DNA in long, linear strands covered with histones = chromatn
- Diferent organisms have diferent numbers of chromosomes
- Nucleolus = subregion of nucleus where ribosomal genes are transcribed
- RNA transcribed from DNA leaves nucleus via pores and goes out into the cell to be translated
Pores
- Lined with proteins and atached to lamina (nuclear skeleton)
- Evenly spaced over nuclear envelope
- Traffic of proteins and RNAs in/out of nucleus
- Located at site where inner membrane curls around to become outer membrane
Note: Endoplasmic retculum is contnuous with nuclear envelope – extends throughout the cell.
Endoplasmic Retculum
- Consists of membrane cisternae that ramify through the cytoplasm. The result is internal compartments
and channels
- The ER is a dynamic structure, ever changing in structure and functons
- with ribosomes = rough ER – neat, folded structure
- no ribosomes = smooth ER – tubular structure
Ribosomes dock on ER to…
The protein can then be transported to Golgi complex.
Intracellular membranes
1. Provide a surface for biochemical reactons.
2. To establish compartments to prevent mixing.
3. To provide for transport of materials within the cell, from the cell to its exterior, or from the cell to an
adjacent cell
Golgi Complex
- Consists of flatened stacks of cisternae called Golgi bodies
- Golgi bodies are functonal extensions of the ER
- involved in collecton, packaging, and distributon of molecules
synthesised elsewhere in the cell
- Almost all the polysaccharide in cells is manufactured within the
Golgi bodies
- The polysaccharide may be atached to either protein or lipid
molecules in the Golgi bodies
Note: Polysaccharides on proteins may be used to distnguish between cells that are self and non-self
The Cytoskeleton
- Allows eukaryotes to be much larger than prokaryotes
- Act as a form of scafolding or as structural elements within the cytoplasm of cells
- Involved in certain cell movements
, BIOL1002 Revision Notes
Acto Iotermediate Microtubule
Monomers can be assembled Composed of vimentn 13 protofilaments form a
and polymers can be hollow cylinder
disassembled – controlled by Spindle fibres are microtubules
gelsolin
Myosin Predominately statc Kinesin
Dynein
Muscle contractons, Intra- and inter-cellular Kioesio – moves vesicles along
Cytoplasmic streaming, stabilisaton microtubules (Kenny)
Microvilli Dyoeio – slides one
microtubule against another,
drives cilia and flagella beatng
Glycosylaton – adding a sugar molecule to an organic molecule, especially protein
Glycoprotein – a protein with a sugar atached to it
Feature Prokaryotes Eukaryotes
Bacteria Archaea Eukarya
Single/mult-celled Single-celled Single/mult-celled
Chromosome Circular Linear
structure
Chromosome number One Multple
Histones None Bound to DNA
Cell Division Binary Fission Meiosis and Mitosis
Autotrophism
Nitrogen fixaton
Ribosomes Smaller – 70s Larger – 00s
Week 2
Lecture 4
