Molecular & Cellular Biology Exam
test quizzes and answers graded A+
Cell - ANS✅✅The basic unit of structure and function in living things
Heredity - ANS✅✅the transmission of traits from one generation to the next
Monomers - ANS✅✅A chemical subunit that serves as a building block of a polymer.
Nucleotide - ANS✅✅A building block of DNA, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded
to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group. Nucleoside with one or more phosphate groups
joined in ester linkages to the sugar moiety. DNA and RNA are polymers of nucleotides.
DNA replication - ANS✅✅The process in which DNA makes a duplicate copy of itself.
DNA transcription - ANS✅✅the formation of an RNA strand complementary to the DNA strand by
RNA polymerase
RNA - ANS✅✅ribonucleic acid, polymer formed from covalently linked ribonucleotide monomers.
Translation - ANS✅✅(genetics) the process whereby genetic information coded in messenger RNA
directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm
Messenger RNA - ANS✅✅RNA molecule that specifies the amino acid sequence of a protein.
Produced in eukaryotes by processing of an RNA molecule made by RNA polymerase as a
complementary copy of DNA. It is translated into protein in a process catalyzed by ribosomes.
Protein - ANS✅✅The major macromolecular constituent of cells. A linear polymer of amino acids
linked together by peptide bonds in a specific sequence.
amino acids - ANS✅✅Organic molecule containing both an amino group and a carboxyl group.
Those that serve as building blocks of proteins are alphas, having both the amino and carboxyl
groups linked to the same carbon atom.
,Polypeptide - ANS✅✅Linear polymer of amino acids. Proteins are large of these, the two terms
can be used interchangeably.
Enzymes - ANS✅✅Catalysts for chemical reactions in living things
Gene - ANS✅✅a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to
determine some characteristic of the offspring.
Genome - ANS✅✅the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic
material in that organism's chromosomes
plasma membrane - ANS✅✅A selectively-permeable phospholipid bilayer forming the boundary of
the cells
Eukaryote - ANS✅✅A cell that contains a nucleus and membrane bound organelles. Organism
composed of one or more cells that have a distinct nucleus. Member of one of the three main
divisions of the living world
Prokaryote - ANS✅✅Single-celled microorganism whose cells lack a well-defined, membrane-
enclosed nucleus. Either a bacterium or an archaeon.
Bacteria - ANS✅✅Domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls containing peptidoglycan
Archaea - ANS✅✅Domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls that do not contain
peptidoglycan
Mutation - ANS✅✅Heritable change in the nucleotide sequence of a chromosome.
gene families - ANS✅✅The set of genes in an organism related in DNA sequence due to their
derivation from the same ancestor.
Orthologs - ANS✅✅two genes in two different species that share a common ancestor
Paralogs - ANS✅✅homologous genes in the same species
, homologs - ANS✅✅umbrella term meaning closely related genes
Viruses - ANS✅✅tiny particles, smaller than bacteria and other pathogens, which must invade
living cells in order to reproduce; when they invade, the cells are damaged or destroyed in the
process releasing new particles to infect other cells. Particle consisting of nucleic acid (RNA or DNA)
enclosed in a protein coat and capable of replicating within a host cell and spreading from cell to
cell.
model organism - ANS✅✅A particular species chosen for research into broad biological principles
because it is representative of a larger group and usually easy to grow in a lab.
polypeptide backbone - ANS✅✅Repeating sequence of atoms that forms the core of a protein
molecule and to which the amino acid side chains are attached.
side chain - ANS✅✅The part of an amino acid that differs between amino acid types. These give
each type of amino acid its unique physical and chemical properties.
conformation - ANS✅✅The particular three-dimentional shape of a protein molecule
alpha helix - ANS✅✅the spiral shape resulting from the coiling of a polypeptide in a protein's
secondary structure
beta sheet - ANS✅✅One form of the secondary structure of proteins in which the polypeptide
chain folds back and forth, or where two regions of the chain lie parallel to each other and are held
together by hydrogen bonds.
coiled coil - ANS✅✅stable, rodlike protein structure formed when two or more alpha helices twist
around each other
primary structure - ANS✅✅The first level of protein structure; the specific sequence of amino
acids making up a polypeptide chain.
secondary structure - ANS✅✅The second level of protein structure; the regular local patterns of
coils or folds of a polypeptide chain.
test quizzes and answers graded A+
Cell - ANS✅✅The basic unit of structure and function in living things
Heredity - ANS✅✅the transmission of traits from one generation to the next
Monomers - ANS✅✅A chemical subunit that serves as a building block of a polymer.
Nucleotide - ANS✅✅A building block of DNA, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded
to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group. Nucleoside with one or more phosphate groups
joined in ester linkages to the sugar moiety. DNA and RNA are polymers of nucleotides.
DNA replication - ANS✅✅The process in which DNA makes a duplicate copy of itself.
DNA transcription - ANS✅✅the formation of an RNA strand complementary to the DNA strand by
RNA polymerase
RNA - ANS✅✅ribonucleic acid, polymer formed from covalently linked ribonucleotide monomers.
Translation - ANS✅✅(genetics) the process whereby genetic information coded in messenger RNA
directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm
Messenger RNA - ANS✅✅RNA molecule that specifies the amino acid sequence of a protein.
Produced in eukaryotes by processing of an RNA molecule made by RNA polymerase as a
complementary copy of DNA. It is translated into protein in a process catalyzed by ribosomes.
Protein - ANS✅✅The major macromolecular constituent of cells. A linear polymer of amino acids
linked together by peptide bonds in a specific sequence.
amino acids - ANS✅✅Organic molecule containing both an amino group and a carboxyl group.
Those that serve as building blocks of proteins are alphas, having both the amino and carboxyl
groups linked to the same carbon atom.
,Polypeptide - ANS✅✅Linear polymer of amino acids. Proteins are large of these, the two terms
can be used interchangeably.
Enzymes - ANS✅✅Catalysts for chemical reactions in living things
Gene - ANS✅✅a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to
determine some characteristic of the offspring.
Genome - ANS✅✅the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic
material in that organism's chromosomes
plasma membrane - ANS✅✅A selectively-permeable phospholipid bilayer forming the boundary of
the cells
Eukaryote - ANS✅✅A cell that contains a nucleus and membrane bound organelles. Organism
composed of one or more cells that have a distinct nucleus. Member of one of the three main
divisions of the living world
Prokaryote - ANS✅✅Single-celled microorganism whose cells lack a well-defined, membrane-
enclosed nucleus. Either a bacterium or an archaeon.
Bacteria - ANS✅✅Domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls containing peptidoglycan
Archaea - ANS✅✅Domain of unicellular prokaryotes that have cell walls that do not contain
peptidoglycan
Mutation - ANS✅✅Heritable change in the nucleotide sequence of a chromosome.
gene families - ANS✅✅The set of genes in an organism related in DNA sequence due to their
derivation from the same ancestor.
Orthologs - ANS✅✅two genes in two different species that share a common ancestor
Paralogs - ANS✅✅homologous genes in the same species
, homologs - ANS✅✅umbrella term meaning closely related genes
Viruses - ANS✅✅tiny particles, smaller than bacteria and other pathogens, which must invade
living cells in order to reproduce; when they invade, the cells are damaged or destroyed in the
process releasing new particles to infect other cells. Particle consisting of nucleic acid (RNA or DNA)
enclosed in a protein coat and capable of replicating within a host cell and spreading from cell to
cell.
model organism - ANS✅✅A particular species chosen for research into broad biological principles
because it is representative of a larger group and usually easy to grow in a lab.
polypeptide backbone - ANS✅✅Repeating sequence of atoms that forms the core of a protein
molecule and to which the amino acid side chains are attached.
side chain - ANS✅✅The part of an amino acid that differs between amino acid types. These give
each type of amino acid its unique physical and chemical properties.
conformation - ANS✅✅The particular three-dimentional shape of a protein molecule
alpha helix - ANS✅✅the spiral shape resulting from the coiling of a polypeptide in a protein's
secondary structure
beta sheet - ANS✅✅One form of the secondary structure of proteins in which the polypeptide
chain folds back and forth, or where two regions of the chain lie parallel to each other and are held
together by hydrogen bonds.
coiled coil - ANS✅✅stable, rodlike protein structure formed when two or more alpha helices twist
around each other
primary structure - ANS✅✅The first level of protein structure; the specific sequence of amino
acids making up a polypeptide chain.
secondary structure - ANS✅✅The second level of protein structure; the regular local patterns of
coils or folds of a polypeptide chain.
