MCAT BIOLOGY: HIGH-YIELD TOPICS & STUDY
STRATEGIES
nucleiod region - answer ✔✔-DNA region in prokaryotes
nucleolus - answer ✔✔-makes ribosome. Sits in nucleus, no membrane
peroxisomes - answer ✔✔-collect and break down material
rough ER - answer ✔✔-accept mRNA to make proteins
smooth ER - answer ✔✔-detox and make lipids
gogli apartius - answer ✔✔-modify/distribute proteins. only in eukaryotes
golgi apparatus vesicular transport - answer ✔✔-COPII -> forward; COPI <- return
golgi apparatus cisternal maturation - answer ✔✔-Vesicle travel in retrograde
New cis made
Cis/Medial/Trans/Exit
Peroxisomes - answer ✔✔-collect and breakdown material
centrioles - answer ✔✔-9 groups of microtubules, pull chromosomes apart
,lysosomes - answer ✔✔-demo and recycling center. made by golgi. single membrane
plasmids - answer ✔✔-in prokaryotes. Carry DNA not necessary for survival
obligate aerobe - answer ✔✔-require O2
obligate anaerobe - answer ✔✔-dies in O2
facultative anaerobe - answer ✔✔-toggle between aerobic/anaerobic
aerotolerant anaerobe - answer ✔✔-does not use O2 but tolerate it
gram + - answer ✔✔-purple, thick peptidoglycan/lipoteichoic acid cell wall
gram - - answer ✔✔-pink-red, thin peptidoglycan cell wall and outer membrane
shapes of bacteria - answer ✔✔-cocci, bacilli, spirilla
Eukaroyte vs prokaryotes - answer ✔✔-Euk: ETC in mitochondria membrane, large ribosomes,
reproduce via mitosis
Pro: ETC in cell membrane, small ribosomes, reproduce via binary fission, plasmids carry DNA material;
may have virulence factors. Plasmids that integrate into genome are episomes
prions - answer ✔✔-infectious proteins; trigger misfiled. alpha-helical to beta pleased sheet
decrease solubility
,viroid - answer ✔✔-plant pathogen
microfilaments - answer ✔✔-actin
microtubules - answer ✔✔-tublin
intermediate filaments - answer ✔✔-keratin = vimentin; desmin = Lamin
parts of cytoskeleton - answer ✔✔-microtubules, microfilaments, intermediate filaments
epithelia tissues - answer ✔✔-parenchyma (functional parts of organ)
simple epithelium - answer ✔✔-one layer
stratified epithelium - answer ✔✔-multiple layers
pseudostratified epithelium - answer ✔✔-one layer (looks like multiple, but really just 1)
cuboidal - answer ✔✔-cube shape
columnar - answer ✔✔-long and narrow
squamous - answer ✔✔-flat, scale-like
connective tissue - answer ✔✔-stroma (support ECM). bone, cartilage, tendon, and blood
transformation - answer ✔✔-gets genetic info from the environment
, conjugation - answer ✔✔-transfer of genetic info via conjugation bridge (pilus)
F+ -> F- or Hfr -> recipient
transduction - answer ✔✔-transfer using bacteriophage
transposons - answer ✔✔-genetic information that can insert/remove themselves
capsid - answer ✔✔-protein coat
envelope - answer ✔✔-some have lipid envelope
virion - answer ✔✔-individual virus particles
bacteriophage - answer ✔✔-bacteria virus. tail sheath injects DNA/RNA
viral genome - answer ✔✔-may be DNA or RNA. single or double stranded
if single strand; positive sense, negative sense - answer ✔✔-positive sense: can be translated by host
cell
negative sense: RNA replicase must synthesize a complimentary strand, which can the be translated
Retrovirus - answer ✔✔-single stranded RNA. Reverse transcriptase needs to make DNA
bacteriophage life cycles - answer ✔✔-lytic: virions made until cell lyses
lysogenic: virus integrates into genome as provirus or prophage. Goes dormant until stress activates it
G1 - answer ✔✔-decide if it is time to divide. make organelles
STRATEGIES
nucleiod region - answer ✔✔-DNA region in prokaryotes
nucleolus - answer ✔✔-makes ribosome. Sits in nucleus, no membrane
peroxisomes - answer ✔✔-collect and break down material
rough ER - answer ✔✔-accept mRNA to make proteins
smooth ER - answer ✔✔-detox and make lipids
gogli apartius - answer ✔✔-modify/distribute proteins. only in eukaryotes
golgi apparatus vesicular transport - answer ✔✔-COPII -> forward; COPI <- return
golgi apparatus cisternal maturation - answer ✔✔-Vesicle travel in retrograde
New cis made
Cis/Medial/Trans/Exit
Peroxisomes - answer ✔✔-collect and breakdown material
centrioles - answer ✔✔-9 groups of microtubules, pull chromosomes apart
,lysosomes - answer ✔✔-demo and recycling center. made by golgi. single membrane
plasmids - answer ✔✔-in prokaryotes. Carry DNA not necessary for survival
obligate aerobe - answer ✔✔-require O2
obligate anaerobe - answer ✔✔-dies in O2
facultative anaerobe - answer ✔✔-toggle between aerobic/anaerobic
aerotolerant anaerobe - answer ✔✔-does not use O2 but tolerate it
gram + - answer ✔✔-purple, thick peptidoglycan/lipoteichoic acid cell wall
gram - - answer ✔✔-pink-red, thin peptidoglycan cell wall and outer membrane
shapes of bacteria - answer ✔✔-cocci, bacilli, spirilla
Eukaroyte vs prokaryotes - answer ✔✔-Euk: ETC in mitochondria membrane, large ribosomes,
reproduce via mitosis
Pro: ETC in cell membrane, small ribosomes, reproduce via binary fission, plasmids carry DNA material;
may have virulence factors. Plasmids that integrate into genome are episomes
prions - answer ✔✔-infectious proteins; trigger misfiled. alpha-helical to beta pleased sheet
decrease solubility
,viroid - answer ✔✔-plant pathogen
microfilaments - answer ✔✔-actin
microtubules - answer ✔✔-tublin
intermediate filaments - answer ✔✔-keratin = vimentin; desmin = Lamin
parts of cytoskeleton - answer ✔✔-microtubules, microfilaments, intermediate filaments
epithelia tissues - answer ✔✔-parenchyma (functional parts of organ)
simple epithelium - answer ✔✔-one layer
stratified epithelium - answer ✔✔-multiple layers
pseudostratified epithelium - answer ✔✔-one layer (looks like multiple, but really just 1)
cuboidal - answer ✔✔-cube shape
columnar - answer ✔✔-long and narrow
squamous - answer ✔✔-flat, scale-like
connective tissue - answer ✔✔-stroma (support ECM). bone, cartilage, tendon, and blood
transformation - answer ✔✔-gets genetic info from the environment
, conjugation - answer ✔✔-transfer of genetic info via conjugation bridge (pilus)
F+ -> F- or Hfr -> recipient
transduction - answer ✔✔-transfer using bacteriophage
transposons - answer ✔✔-genetic information that can insert/remove themselves
capsid - answer ✔✔-protein coat
envelope - answer ✔✔-some have lipid envelope
virion - answer ✔✔-individual virus particles
bacteriophage - answer ✔✔-bacteria virus. tail sheath injects DNA/RNA
viral genome - answer ✔✔-may be DNA or RNA. single or double stranded
if single strand; positive sense, negative sense - answer ✔✔-positive sense: can be translated by host
cell
negative sense: RNA replicase must synthesize a complimentary strand, which can the be translated
Retrovirus - answer ✔✔-single stranded RNA. Reverse transcriptase needs to make DNA
bacteriophage life cycles - answer ✔✔-lytic: virions made until cell lyses
lysogenic: virus integrates into genome as provirus or prophage. Goes dormant until stress activates it
G1 - answer ✔✔-decide if it is time to divide. make organelles
