Molecular Biology of The Cell – Alberts
1. How many species are there?: Around 8.7 Million
2. Most living organisms have how many cells?: Most are single celled organisms
Others, such as ourselves, are multicellular organisms in which groups of cells perform specialized functions and are linked by
intricate systems of communcation.
3. How many cells does a human body have?: 10¹³
4. How are human cells generated?: The whole is generated from cell division
5. What is the "vehicle" for hereditary information for organisms?: The cell, which carries the hereditary information
that defines the species.
And specified by this information, the cell includes machinery to gather raw materials from the environment and to construct out
of them a new cell in its own image.
6. How long have living cells been evolving?: 3.5 Billion years
7. Where do all living cell store their hereditary information?: In DNA.
8. What is DNA's Structure?: Double stranded molecules - long unbranched paired polymer chains, called strands, twisted
into a double helix made from the same four monomers - A, T, C and G - and they are strung together in long linear
sequences that encodes the genetic information, just as the sequence of 1s and 0s encode the information of a computer
file.
9. Parts of a nucleotide?: sugar (dioxyribose) with a phosphate group attached to it, and a nitrogen-containing base, which
may be either adenine, guanine, cytosine or thymine.
Each strands are liked via sugar-phosphate group linkages, creating a polymer chain composed of repitive sugar-phosphate
backbone with a series of bases protruding from it.
10. Concept: A single isolated strand, can be, in principle added in any orgder, because each links in the
same way.: Basically, A will always go to T, C always to G and the phosphates will always link to the sugar, etc.
11. What are the bond between nucleotides on opposide strands?: Weak hydrogen bonds - This allows the two DNA
strands to be pulled apart without breakage of their backbones.
Each strand can then serve as a template for the stnthesis of a fresh DNA strand complementary to itself - a fresh copy, that is, of
hereditary information.
12. The bonds between nucleotides on individual strands?: Strong covalent bonds
13. DNA Replication: The process by which a copy of DNA ia made
14 What are the rates of cell replication in cells?: They are different and depend on the type of cellWith different controls
to start it or stop it, and different auxiliary molecules to help it along.
15. How does DNA polymerization work?: DNA is the information store, and templated polymerization is the way in
which this information is copied throughout the living world.
16. Transcription: Strands of DNA sequences are used as a template for the synthesis of shorter molecules of the closerly
related polymer RNA;
Copying of one strand of DNA into a complementary RNA sequence by the enzyme RNA polymerase.
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, Molecular Biology of The Cell - Alberts
Later in the process of translation, many of these RNA molecules direct the synthesis of polymers of a radically different chemical
class - proteins.
17. Ribonucleic Acid: Polymer formed from covalently linked ribonucleotide monomers.
It acts as the intermediate in the transfer of genetic information; they mainly serve as mRNA to guide the synthesis of proteins
according to the DNA.
18. Translation: Process by which the sequence of nucleotides in mRNA molecule directs the incorporation of amino acids
into protein. Occurs on a ribosome.
19. RNA structure?: The backbone is formed of a slightly different sugar than that of DNA - ribose instead of deoxyribose -
and one of the four bases is slightly different - uracil (U) in place of thymine; But the other three bases are all the same.
Being single stranded, their backbone is flexible, so that the polymer chain can bend back on itself to allow one part of the
molecular to form weak bonds with another part of the same molecular.
This occurs when segments of the sequence are locally complementary:
a...GGGGG.... segment for example, will tend to associate with a ...CCCC... segment. This can cause an RNA chain to fold up into a
specific shape that is dictated by its sequence.
20. RNA polymerization?: They use template polymerization; The dna remplate strand receives RNA monomers.
21. Can that same segment make more RNA?: The same segment of DNA can be used repeatedly to guide the
synthesis of many identical RNA transcripts. Thus, whereas the cell's archive of genetic information in the form of Dna is fixed and
sancrosanct, the RNA are mass-produced and disposable.
22 What is RNA mainly?: Messanger RNA aka mRNA
23. Protein and Structure: The major macromolecular constituent of cells. a linear polymer of amino acids linked together by
peptide bonds in a specific sequence.
Long unbranched polymer chains, formed by stringing together monomeric building blocks drawn from a standard repertoire that
is the same for are living cells.
Like DNA and RNA, they carry information in the form of a linear sequence of symbols.
Each protein, created by joining amino acids in a particular sequence folds into a precise 3D form with reactive sites on its
surfance.
24. Amino Acid: Organic molecules containg both an amino group and a carboxyl group. Those that serve as building blocks of
proteins are alpha aminos, having both the amino and caboxyl groups linked to the same carbon atom.
25. Polypeptides: Linear polymer of amino acids. Proteins are large polypeptides, and the two terms can be used
interchangeable.
26. What is most of the cells mass, minus water?: Proteins
27. What are the monomers of proteins?: Amino Acids
28. How many amino acids are there?: 20
Each protein is made by joining amino acids in a particular sequence folds into a precise three-dimensional form with reactive
sites on its surface. 29. Enzymes: Protein that catalyzes a specific chemical reaction
30. Transfer RNAs (tRNA): Set of small RNA molecules used in protein synthesis as an interface between mRNA and amino
acids. Each type of tRNA molecule is covalently linked to a particular amino acid.
31. Ribosomal RNAs: aka rNA Any one of a number of specific RNA molecules that form part of the structure of a
ribosome and participate in the synthesis of proteins.
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1. How many species are there?: Around 8.7 Million
2. Most living organisms have how many cells?: Most are single celled organisms
Others, such as ourselves, are multicellular organisms in which groups of cells perform specialized functions and are linked by
intricate systems of communcation.
3. How many cells does a human body have?: 10¹³
4. How are human cells generated?: The whole is generated from cell division
5. What is the "vehicle" for hereditary information for organisms?: The cell, which carries the hereditary information
that defines the species.
And specified by this information, the cell includes machinery to gather raw materials from the environment and to construct out
of them a new cell in its own image.
6. How long have living cells been evolving?: 3.5 Billion years
7. Where do all living cell store their hereditary information?: In DNA.
8. What is DNA's Structure?: Double stranded molecules - long unbranched paired polymer chains, called strands, twisted
into a double helix made from the same four monomers - A, T, C and G - and they are strung together in long linear
sequences that encodes the genetic information, just as the sequence of 1s and 0s encode the information of a computer
file.
9. Parts of a nucleotide?: sugar (dioxyribose) with a phosphate group attached to it, and a nitrogen-containing base, which
may be either adenine, guanine, cytosine or thymine.
Each strands are liked via sugar-phosphate group linkages, creating a polymer chain composed of repitive sugar-phosphate
backbone with a series of bases protruding from it.
10. Concept: A single isolated strand, can be, in principle added in any orgder, because each links in the
same way.: Basically, A will always go to T, C always to G and the phosphates will always link to the sugar, etc.
11. What are the bond between nucleotides on opposide strands?: Weak hydrogen bonds - This allows the two DNA
strands to be pulled apart without breakage of their backbones.
Each strand can then serve as a template for the stnthesis of a fresh DNA strand complementary to itself - a fresh copy, that is, of
hereditary information.
12. The bonds between nucleotides on individual strands?: Strong covalent bonds
13. DNA Replication: The process by which a copy of DNA ia made
14 What are the rates of cell replication in cells?: They are different and depend on the type of cellWith different controls
to start it or stop it, and different auxiliary molecules to help it along.
15. How does DNA polymerization work?: DNA is the information store, and templated polymerization is the way in
which this information is copied throughout the living world.
16. Transcription: Strands of DNA sequences are used as a template for the synthesis of shorter molecules of the closerly
related polymer RNA;
Copying of one strand of DNA into a complementary RNA sequence by the enzyme RNA polymerase.
1/8
, Molecular Biology of The Cell - Alberts
Later in the process of translation, many of these RNA molecules direct the synthesis of polymers of a radically different chemical
class - proteins.
17. Ribonucleic Acid: Polymer formed from covalently linked ribonucleotide monomers.
It acts as the intermediate in the transfer of genetic information; they mainly serve as mRNA to guide the synthesis of proteins
according to the DNA.
18. Translation: Process by which the sequence of nucleotides in mRNA molecule directs the incorporation of amino acids
into protein. Occurs on a ribosome.
19. RNA structure?: The backbone is formed of a slightly different sugar than that of DNA - ribose instead of deoxyribose -
and one of the four bases is slightly different - uracil (U) in place of thymine; But the other three bases are all the same.
Being single stranded, their backbone is flexible, so that the polymer chain can bend back on itself to allow one part of the
molecular to form weak bonds with another part of the same molecular.
This occurs when segments of the sequence are locally complementary:
a...GGGGG.... segment for example, will tend to associate with a ...CCCC... segment. This can cause an RNA chain to fold up into a
specific shape that is dictated by its sequence.
20. RNA polymerization?: They use template polymerization; The dna remplate strand receives RNA monomers.
21. Can that same segment make more RNA?: The same segment of DNA can be used repeatedly to guide the
synthesis of many identical RNA transcripts. Thus, whereas the cell's archive of genetic information in the form of Dna is fixed and
sancrosanct, the RNA are mass-produced and disposable.
22 What is RNA mainly?: Messanger RNA aka mRNA
23. Protein and Structure: The major macromolecular constituent of cells. a linear polymer of amino acids linked together by
peptide bonds in a specific sequence.
Long unbranched polymer chains, formed by stringing together monomeric building blocks drawn from a standard repertoire that
is the same for are living cells.
Like DNA and RNA, they carry information in the form of a linear sequence of symbols.
Each protein, created by joining amino acids in a particular sequence folds into a precise 3D form with reactive sites on its
surfance.
24. Amino Acid: Organic molecules containg both an amino group and a carboxyl group. Those that serve as building blocks of
proteins are alpha aminos, having both the amino and caboxyl groups linked to the same carbon atom.
25. Polypeptides: Linear polymer of amino acids. Proteins are large polypeptides, and the two terms can be used
interchangeable.
26. What is most of the cells mass, minus water?: Proteins
27. What are the monomers of proteins?: Amino Acids
28. How many amino acids are there?: 20
Each protein is made by joining amino acids in a particular sequence folds into a precise three-dimensional form with reactive
sites on its surface. 29. Enzymes: Protein that catalyzes a specific chemical reaction
30. Transfer RNAs (tRNA): Set of small RNA molecules used in protein synthesis as an interface between mRNA and amino
acids. Each type of tRNA molecule is covalently linked to a particular amino acid.
31. Ribosomal RNAs: aka rNA Any one of a number of specific RNA molecules that form part of the structure of a
ribosome and participate in the synthesis of proteins.
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