BBS1001 LEGO Bricks of Life Full Summary

BBS1001 Summary


Sugars and Fats 4
Nomenclature 4
Different types of sugars and fats 4
Essential and non-essential fatty acids 7
Chemical structure of sugars and fats 8
What is the function of sugars and fats in our body? 9
Digestion 10

pH and Buffers 12
pH 12
Calculating the pH of a buffer solution 13
What is a buffer and how does it work? 14

Membrane Transport 15
Passive transport 15
Active transport 17
Bulk transport 19
Osmolarity 19
Comparison of different types of membrane transport 20

Cell Structure 21

How is the structure of the mitochondria adapted to its function? 24
Unique features to animal cells 26
Cytoskeleton 27
Cell junctions 31
Intercellular junctions 32
Overview 33

Cell Tissues 35
Definition of tissue 35
Nerve tissue 35
Muscle tissue 38
Epithelial tissue 41
Connective tissue 44

Cellular Respiration 47

DNA Structure and Replication 50
Structure: 50
Watson and Crick 50
Genetic Information 52
DNA packaging in Eukaryotes and Prokaryotes 53

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, Basis of DNA Replication 54
Enzymes 55
Telomeres 57

Mutations 58
Mutations in Somatic Cells and in Gametes 58

Transcription 62

Transcription in Prokaryotes 63
Prokaryotic RNA Polymerase 63
Prokaryotic promoters 63
Elongation and termination in prokaryotes 64
Prokaryotic termination signals 65

Transcription in Eukaryotes 67
Steps of Transcription 67
Initiation of Transcription 69
The Three Eukaryotic RNA Polymerases 69
Structure of an RNA Polymerase II Promoter 70
Transcription Factors for RNA Polymerase II 70
Promoter Structures for RNA Polymerases I and III 71
Elongation and Termination 71

Post-Transcriptional Modifications 73

Eukaryotic Translation 76

Prokaryotic Translation 84

Protein Modifications 87

The Central Dogma 92

Cell Signalling 93

Signalling Molecules 96
Binding Initiates a Signaling Pathway 99

Cell Death 101

Genetics and Inheritance 102
Mendel’s Law of Dominance 103
Mendel’s Law of Segregation 103
Mendel’s Law of Independent Assortment 104
Independent Assortment 104

Genetic Variation 110
Frequency-dependent Selection 116
Sexual Selection 117

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, No Perfect Organism 117
Phylogenetic trees 118

BLAST 121

How does BLAST work? 121




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, Sugars and Fats

Nomenclature
Animals Plants

Glucose: C​6​H​12​O​6 Fructose: C​6​H​12​O​6

Lactose: C​12​H​22​O​11 Sucrose: C​12​H​22​O​11

Glycogen: C​24​H​42​O​21 Cellulose: C​14​H​26​O​11


Nomenclature for sugars
➔ Sugar refers to all carbohydrates of the general formula ​Cn(H​2​O)n
➔ Sucrose is a disaccharide, or double sugar, being composed of one​ molecule​ of
glucose linked to one molecule of​ fructose
➔ Because one molecule of​ water​ (H​2​O) is lost in the ​condensation​ ​reaction​ linking
glucose to fructose, sucrose is represented by the formula C​12​H​22​O​11​ following the
general formula ​Cn(H​2​O)n-1

Nomenclature for fats
➔ Fatty acids are ​carboxylic acids​ with a long hydrocarbon chain
➔ Most fatty acids have 12 to 20 carbons
➔ Most chains have an even number of carbons (synthesized
from two carbon units)
➔ IUPAC nomenclature for a carboxylic acid is ​-COOH
➔ The name ends in ​-oic​ ​acid
➔ C18:1(n-6): 18 C’s, the last is a COOH-group, between the
6th and 7th double bond (6th bond)
➔ C18:2(n-6) 18 C’s, the last is a COOH-group, between the
6th and 7th a double bond (6th bond)
➔ Lipid free fatty acid nomenclature
1. Draw the fatty acid and number the bends/ corners/ number of carbon atoms
2. Recognize configuration: cis or trans? → mostly cis
3. Δ tells you where the double bond is (always go for the lower number) and
write it as a superscript of Δ
4. Then write the total number of carbon atoms present
5. 18:1 would be the skeleton name (18 carbon atoms, one double bond)
6. Add -oic acid at the end


Different types of sugars and fats
Background knowledge
➔ Carbohydrates​: contains carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen

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