MMSC 490 Exam 1 Questions and Answers Already Passed Latest Update 2025-2026
Stanley Miller - AnswersScientist. Performed an experiment that produced amino acids under
possible primitive earth conditions. Provided the basic materials from which the first living
organism arose
Nucleic acids - Answerscan serve as templates for their own synthesis as a result of specific
base pairing between complementary nucleotides
Genes - Answersthe functional units of inheritance, corresponding to segments of DNA that
encode proteins or RNA molecules
Transcription - Answersthe nucleotide sequence being copied into RNA
Translation - Answersthe nucleotide sequence being used to specify the order of amino acids in
a protein
Phospholipid - Answersthe basic components of all present-day biological membranes,
including the plasma membrane of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
Amphipathic - Answersone portion of the molecule is soluble in water and another portion is not
ex: phospholipids
Hydrophobic - AnswersWater in-soluble
phospholipid tail
Hydrophilic - AnswersWater soluble
phospholipid tail
What happens when phospholipids are placed in water? - Answersthey spontaneously
aggregate into a bilayer with their phosphate-containing head groups on the outside in contact
with water and their hydrocarbon tails in the interior in contact with each other
ATP - Answersall cells use it as their source of metabolic energy to drive the synthesis of cell
constituents and carry out other energy requiring activities
Glycolosis - AnswersThe anaerobic breakdown of glucose to lactic acid, with the net energy gain
of 2 molecules of ATP
,Provides a mechanism by which the energy , which could then be used as a source of energy to
drive other metabolic reactions
Prokaryotes - AnswersArchaea and Bacteria
Do not have nuclei or cytoplasmic organelles
Most are spherical, rod shaped, or spiral
Eukaryotes - AnswersContain a nucleus and cytoplasmic organelles
Much more complex than prokaryotes
Endosymbiosis - AnswersOne cell living inside another
Most eukaryotic genes related to informational processes were derived from where? -
AnswersArchaebacteria
How many base pairs does Saccharomyces Cerevisiae contain - Answers12 million base pairs
What does Paramecium specialize in - Answersmovement and feeding on bacteria and yeast
What is special about Chlamydomonas - Answersit is a unicellular eukaryote and contains
chloroplasts so it is able to carry out photosynthesis
epethelial cells - Answersform sheets that cover the surface of the body and line the internal
organs
Connective tissue - Answersbone, cartilage, and adipose tissue
Fibroblasts - AnswersThe loose connective tissue that underlies epithelial layers and fells the
spaces between organs and tissues in the body
Red blood cells - Answers(erythrocytes)
function in oxygen transport
White blood cells - Answers(granulocytes, monocytes, macrophages, lymphocytes) function in
inflammatory reactions and the immune response
nervous tissue - Answerscomposed of supporting cells and nerve cells, which are highly
specialized to transmit signals throughout the body
, What is the most thoroughly studied species of bacteria, what were the studies on - AnswersE.
Coli, investigation of the basic mechanisms of molecular genetics
How many genes goes E. Coli contain? - Answers4000 genes
How many protein coding genes does the human genome contain? - Answers20000 genes
How often does E. Coli divide? - AnswersEvery 20 minutes
What is the simplest eukaryote? - AnswersYeast
How many genes does Saccharomyces cerevisiae contain? - Answers6000 genes
how often does yeast replicate? - AnswersEvery 2 hours
What have yeast cells helped understand in molecular biology? - AnswersFundamental
processes in eukaryotes, such as DNA replication, transcription, RNA processing, protein sorting,
and the regulation of cell division
What is a crucial model organism in developmental biology - AnswersC. elegans and Drosophila
melanogaster
How many genes does C. elegans have? - Answers19000 genes
What have genetic studies on C. elegans helped with? - Answersidentified many of the
mutations responsible for developmental abnormalities, leading to the isolation and
characterization of critical genes that control nematode development and differentiation
How many genes does Drosophila contain - Answers14000
What did the extensive genetic analysis of drosophila uncover? - Answersmany genes that
control development and differentiation, and current methods of molecular biology have allowed
the funcctions of these genes to be analyzed in detal
What was used as a model to study the molecular biology of plants? - AnswersArabidopsis
thaliana
How many genes does arabidopsis contain? - Answers15000 genes
What are ES cells? - Answersestablished in culture from early embryos and maintain their ability
to differentiate into all of the cell types present in adult organisms
Primary cultures - Answersthe initial cell cultures established from a tissue
immortal cell lines - Answersembryonic stem cells and cells derived from tumors frequently
proliferate indefinitely in culture
Stanley Miller - AnswersScientist. Performed an experiment that produced amino acids under
possible primitive earth conditions. Provided the basic materials from which the first living
organism arose
Nucleic acids - Answerscan serve as templates for their own synthesis as a result of specific
base pairing between complementary nucleotides
Genes - Answersthe functional units of inheritance, corresponding to segments of DNA that
encode proteins or RNA molecules
Transcription - Answersthe nucleotide sequence being copied into RNA
Translation - Answersthe nucleotide sequence being used to specify the order of amino acids in
a protein
Phospholipid - Answersthe basic components of all present-day biological membranes,
including the plasma membrane of both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
Amphipathic - Answersone portion of the molecule is soluble in water and another portion is not
ex: phospholipids
Hydrophobic - AnswersWater in-soluble
phospholipid tail
Hydrophilic - AnswersWater soluble
phospholipid tail
What happens when phospholipids are placed in water? - Answersthey spontaneously
aggregate into a bilayer with their phosphate-containing head groups on the outside in contact
with water and their hydrocarbon tails in the interior in contact with each other
ATP - Answersall cells use it as their source of metabolic energy to drive the synthesis of cell
constituents and carry out other energy requiring activities
Glycolosis - AnswersThe anaerobic breakdown of glucose to lactic acid, with the net energy gain
of 2 molecules of ATP
,Provides a mechanism by which the energy , which could then be used as a source of energy to
drive other metabolic reactions
Prokaryotes - AnswersArchaea and Bacteria
Do not have nuclei or cytoplasmic organelles
Most are spherical, rod shaped, or spiral
Eukaryotes - AnswersContain a nucleus and cytoplasmic organelles
Much more complex than prokaryotes
Endosymbiosis - AnswersOne cell living inside another
Most eukaryotic genes related to informational processes were derived from where? -
AnswersArchaebacteria
How many base pairs does Saccharomyces Cerevisiae contain - Answers12 million base pairs
What does Paramecium specialize in - Answersmovement and feeding on bacteria and yeast
What is special about Chlamydomonas - Answersit is a unicellular eukaryote and contains
chloroplasts so it is able to carry out photosynthesis
epethelial cells - Answersform sheets that cover the surface of the body and line the internal
organs
Connective tissue - Answersbone, cartilage, and adipose tissue
Fibroblasts - AnswersThe loose connective tissue that underlies epithelial layers and fells the
spaces between organs and tissues in the body
Red blood cells - Answers(erythrocytes)
function in oxygen transport
White blood cells - Answers(granulocytes, monocytes, macrophages, lymphocytes) function in
inflammatory reactions and the immune response
nervous tissue - Answerscomposed of supporting cells and nerve cells, which are highly
specialized to transmit signals throughout the body
, What is the most thoroughly studied species of bacteria, what were the studies on - AnswersE.
Coli, investigation of the basic mechanisms of molecular genetics
How many genes goes E. Coli contain? - Answers4000 genes
How many protein coding genes does the human genome contain? - Answers20000 genes
How often does E. Coli divide? - AnswersEvery 20 minutes
What is the simplest eukaryote? - AnswersYeast
How many genes does Saccharomyces cerevisiae contain? - Answers6000 genes
how often does yeast replicate? - AnswersEvery 2 hours
What have yeast cells helped understand in molecular biology? - AnswersFundamental
processes in eukaryotes, such as DNA replication, transcription, RNA processing, protein sorting,
and the regulation of cell division
What is a crucial model organism in developmental biology - AnswersC. elegans and Drosophila
melanogaster
How many genes does C. elegans have? - Answers19000 genes
What have genetic studies on C. elegans helped with? - Answersidentified many of the
mutations responsible for developmental abnormalities, leading to the isolation and
characterization of critical genes that control nematode development and differentiation
How many genes does Drosophila contain - Answers14000
What did the extensive genetic analysis of drosophila uncover? - Answersmany genes that
control development and differentiation, and current methods of molecular biology have allowed
the funcctions of these genes to be analyzed in detal
What was used as a model to study the molecular biology of plants? - AnswersArabidopsis
thaliana
How many genes does arabidopsis contain? - Answers15000 genes
What are ES cells? - Answersestablished in culture from early embryos and maintain their ability
to differentiate into all of the cell types present in adult organisms
Primary cultures - Answersthe initial cell cultures established from a tissue
immortal cell lines - Answersembryonic stem cells and cells derived from tumors frequently
proliferate indefinitely in culture
