Campbell Problem 8

Molecular Genetics Problem 8
8. Imagine that a geneticist has identified two disorders that appear to be caused by the same chromosomal defect and are affected by genomic imprinting: blindness and numbness of the limbs. A blind woman (whose mother suffered from numbness) has four children, two of whom, a son and daughter, have inherited the chromosomal defect. If this defect works like Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes, what disorders do this son and daughter display? What disorders would be seen in their sons and daughters?

In Prader-Willi and Angelman syndromes the type of symptom exhibited in the offspring depends upon which parent contributes the defective chromosome.

In this case children receiving a defective chromosome from the father will suffer from numbness and children receiving a defective chromosome from the mother will be blind.

The pedigree below helps to sort out how the imprinting works.

 

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Cell Exploration Webquest

 
 

 

CELL EXPLORATION WEBQUEST

 

INTRODUCTION

Every living thing is composed of at least one cell. Bacteria, amoebae, and paramecia are made of one cell and are capable of the activities of life. Organisms made of one cell are unicellular. Most living things are made of more than one cell and are called multicellular. Cells of these organisms function together to accomplish life activities. How many cells do you think make up your body? The human body is made of trillions of cells.

In order to understand how the cell functions in your body, we have to take a look at how your body is organized. Since you are made of matter, and all matter is made of atoms, your body is a collection of atoms. These atoms combined in specific ways to form molecules. Some of the important molecules in your body are proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, salts, water, and nucleic acids. These molecules combined to form the structures that make up a cell. Since each cell is capable of the activities of life, it is the smallest unit of life.

Cells that are similar can function together. These collections of cells are called tissues. Some tissues that you may be familiar with are the muscle tissue that makes up your heart, epithelial tissue that makes up your skin, and connective tissue that holds your body together. Different groups of tissues can be arranged to form organs. Some organs that you may be familiar with are the stomach, intestines, heart, and lungs. For example, the stomach has epithelium to line the outside and inside surfaces for protection and the muscle tissue allows your stomach to squeeze and churn. Groups of organs can work together as an organ system to perform a specific function. The digestive system functions to breakdown and absorb food so that our bodies can use the energy. The pancreas, stomach, intestines, gall bladder, and esophagus are some of the organs that make up the digestive system. There are 13 systems in the human body that function together to produce an organism – YOU!

To review:

ATOMS ——> MOLECULES ——-> CELLS ——-> TISSUES ——-> ORGANS ——> SYSTEMS ——> ORGANISM
The focus of this activity is to learn more about the cell and how it functions in your body.

CELL SIZE

Cells are very small and you must use a microscope to look at them. Watch this video (click on “start animation”), then look at the size of cells and answer the following questions. To give you an idea about size, the length of a key on the keyboard is about 1 cm.

Question:
Answer:
A. Is a bacterium larger or smaller than an animal cell?
B. How many bacteria can fit into an animal cell?
C. Are plant cells larger or smaller than animal cells?

 

EUKARYOTIC CELL ORGANELLES

Since the cell is the fundamental unit of life, it must be capable of independent existence. Some of the necessary life activities are communication, metabolism, protection, and waste disposal. In order to carry out these jobs, the cell has different organs inside of it just like your body has organs. These “tiny organs” are called organelles. Different organs have different jobs and they need the proper supplies of ATP (cellular energy), proteins, oxygen, and other nutrients to carry out their jobs.
There are different types of cells that have different functions, but all cells have some common features. The things common to all cells are a cell membrane (plasma membrane), cytoplasm, and organelles. Take a look at a drawing of an animal cell. (Hold cursor over organelle to identify it.)

To understand how the cell carries out its functions, you should know more about the cytoplasm, cell membrane, and organelles. Click on each structure given in the table below to learn more about each cell part. Complete the table by writing a brief description and function for each part.

Structure
Description
Function
CYTOPLASM
PLASMA MEMBRANE
NUCLEUS
MITOCHONDRION
ENDOPLASMIC RETICULUM
RIBOSOME
GOLGI COMPLEX
CENTRIOLE
LYSOSOME
CYTOSKELETON

 

The things common to all cells are a cell membrane (plasma membrane), cytoplasm, and organelles. Remember that plant cells have three structures that animal cells don’t.  Now look at a drawing of a plant cell.  (Hold cursor over organelle to identify it.)

COMPLETE THE TABLE BELOW:

Structure
Description
Function
 CHLOROPLAST
 CELL WALL
CENTRAL VACUOLE 

 
PROKARYOTIC CELLS

 

        Remember that prokaryotic cells are only found in bacteria!  They’re simpler than eukaryotic cells.  Look at the bacterial cell, and complete the table below:

Structure
Description
Function

After you have read about  cells, take the cell quiz. Check your answer after you answer each question.

 

 

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Campbell Problem 9

Molecular Genetics Problem 9
9. What pattern of inheritance would lead a geneticist to suspect that an inherited disorder of cell metabolism is due to a defective mitochondrial gene?

 

The disorder would always be inherited from the mother because the mother’s mitochondrial gene is the only one that survives when the zygote is formed. The gamete from the mother contains all the information. The head of the father’s sperm is the only part that survives during fertilization. The tail of the sperm containing the male’s mitochondria (an their genes) is lost when the zygote begins development. Thus it is only from the mother that the disorder can be inherited.

 

Do Brain Cells Run Out of Gas?
Within each cell reside hundreds of tiny gas stations known as mitochondria. These essential organelles generate a large share of the fuel, a molecule called ATP, that cells use to power their biological machinery. There’s a suspicion, admittedly controversial, that problems with these energy-supplying mitochondria contribute to the progression of age-related neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s diseases, says Douglas C. Wallace of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. In 1993, Wallace and his colleagues reported on comparisons of the mitochondrial DNA of Alzheimer’s patients and that of people without Alzheimer’s, who served as controls. This genetic material, which contains all the instructions necessary for mitochondria to function and replicate, is independent of the DNA found in a cell’s nucleus. Wallace’s group discovered that a particular mutation in mitochondrial DNA showed up in more than 5 percent of Alzheimer’s patients but in less than 1 percent of a random group of people with-out the disease. Studies on animals support the importance of mitochondria in brain disorders. When investigators destroy mitochondria or inhibit the activity of enzymes crucial to mitochondrial function in rats or mice, the rodents develop behavioral or physical attributes of Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, and Parkinson’s diseases. &emdash; J. Travis

Science News: Aug. 5 • Vol. 148, No. 6

 

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Structure & Function of the Cells

 

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF THE CELL

All Materials © Cmassengale

I. All Organisms are Made of Cells

 

A. The cell is the basic unit of structure & function

 

B. The cell is the smallest unit that can still carry on all life processes

C. Both unicellular (one celled) and multicellular (many celled) organisms are composed of cells

D. Before the 17th century, no one knew cells existed

E. Most cells are too small to be seen with the unaided eye

 

F. In the early 17th century microscopes were invented & cells were seen for the 1st time

G. Anton Von Leeuwenhoek, a Dutchman, made the 1st hand-held microscope & viewed microscopic organisms in water & bacteria from his teeth

 

Leeuwenhoek’s microscope consisted simply of:

  • A) a screw for adjusting the height of the object being examined
  • B) a metal plate serving as the body
  • C) a skewer to impale the object and rotate it
  • D) the lens itself, which was spherical

 

 

H. In 1665, an English scientist named Robert Hooke made an improved microscope and viewed thin slices of cork viewing plant cell walls

 

I. Hooke named what he saw “cells”

J. In the 1830’s, Matthias Schleiden (botanist studying plants) & Theodore Schwann (zoologist studying animals) stated that all living things were made of cells

 

K. In 1855, Rudolf Virchow stated that cells only arise from pre-existing cells

 

L. Virchow’s idea contradicted the idea of spontaneous generation (idea that nonliving things could give rise to organisms)

M. The combined work of Schleiden, Schwann, & Virchow is known as the Cell Theory

 

Schwann Schleiden Virchow

 

 

II. Principles of the Cell Theory

 

A. All living things are made of one or more cells

B. Cells are the basic unit of structure & function in organisms

C. Cells come only from the reproduction of existing cells

 

III. Cell Diversity

 

A. Not all cells are alike

B. Cells differ in size, shape, and function

 

C. The female egg cell is the largest cell in the body & can be seen without a microscope

relative sizes of cells and their components

D. Bacterial cells are some of the smallest cells & are only visible with a microscope


E.coli Bacterial Cells

E. Cells need surface area of their cell membrane large enough to adequately exchange materials with the environment (wastes, gases such as O2 & CO2, and nutrients)

 

F. Cells are limited in size by the ratio between their outer surface area & their volume

 

G. Small cells have more surface area for their volume of cytoplasm than large cells

H. As cells grow, the amount of surface area becomes too small to allow materials to enter & leave the cell quickly enough

I. Cell size is also limited by the amount of cytoplasmic activity that the cell’s nucleus can control

J. Cells come in a variety of shapes, & the shape helps determine the function of the cell (e.g. Nerve cells are long to transmit messages in the body, while red blood cells are disk shaped to move through blood vessels)

 

IV. Prokaryotes

 

A. Prokaryotic cells are less complex

B. Unicellular

C. Do not have a nucleus & no membrane-bound organelles

 

D. Most have a cell wall surrounding the cell membrane & a single, looped chromosome (genetic material) in the cytoplasm

 

E. Include bacteria & blue-green bacteria

 

F. Found in the kingdom Monera

 

 

V. Eukaryotes

 

A. More complex cells

B. Includes both unicellular & multicellular organisms

 

C. Do have a true nucleus & membrane-bound organelles

 

D. Organelles are internal structures in cell’s that perform specific functions

 

a. Nucleus b. Chloroplast c. Golgi d. Mitochondria

 

E. Organelles are surrounded by a single or double membrane

 

F. Entire eukaryotic cell surrounded by a thin cell membrane that controls what enters & leaves the cell

G. Nucleus is located in the center of the cell

H. The nucleus contains the genetic material (DNA) & controls the cell’s activities

I. Eukaryotes include plant cells, animal cells, fungi, algae, & protists

J. Prokaryotes or bacteria lack a nucleus

K. Found in the kingdoms Protista, Fungi, Plantae, & Animalia

 

 

VI. Cell Membrane

 

A. Separates the cytoplasm of the cell from its environment

B. Protects the cell & controls what enters and leaves

 

C. Cell membranes are selectively permeable only allowing certain materials to enter or leave

D. Composed of a lipid bilayer made of phospholipid molecules

 

E. The hydrophilic head of a phospholipid is polar & composed of a glycerol & phosphate group and points to the aqueous cytoplasm and external environment.

F. The two hydrophobic tails are nonpolar point toward each other in the center of the membrane & are composed of two fatty acids

G. When phospholipids are placed in water, they line up on the water’s surface with their heads sticking into the water & their tails pointing upward from the surface.

H. The inside of the cell or cytoplasm is an aqueous or watery environment & so is the outside of the cell. Phospholipid “heads” point toward the water.

I. Phospholipid “tails” are sandwiched inside the lipid bilayer.

J. The cell membrane is constantly breaking down & being reformed inside living cells.

K. Certain small molecules such as CO2, H2O, & O2 can easily pass through the phospholipids

 

VII. Membrane Proteins

 

A. A variety of protein molecules are embedded in the cell’s lipid bilayer.

B. Some proteins called peripheral proteins are attached to the external & internal surface of the cell membrane

C. Integral proteins or transmembrane proteins are embedded & extend across the entire cell membrane. These are exposed to both the inside of the cell & the exterior environment.

D. Other integral proteins extend only to the inside or only to the exterior surface.

E. Cell membrane proteins help move materials into & out of the cell.

F. Some integral proteins called channel proteins have holes or pores through them so certain substances can cross the cell membrane.

G. Channel proteins help move ions (charged particles) such as Na+, Ca+, & K+ across the cell membrane

H. Transmembrane proteins bind to a substance on one side of the membrane & carry it to the other side. e.g. glucose

 

I. Some embedded, integral proteins have carbohydrate chains attached to them to serve as chemical signals to help cells recognize each other or for hormones or viruses to attach

 

 

VIII. Fluid Mosaic Model

 

A. The phospholipids & proteins in a cell membrane can drift or move side to side making the membrane appear “fluid”.

B. The proteins embedded in the cell membrane form patterns or mosaics.

C. Because the membrane is fluid with a pattern or mosaic of proteins, the modern view of the cell membrane is called the fluid mosaic model.

 

IX. Internal Cell Structure & Organelles of Eukaryotes

A. Cytoplasm includes everything between the nucleus and cell membrane.

 

B. Cytoplasm is composed of organelles & cytosol (jellylike material consisting of mainly water along with proteins.

 

C. Eukaryotes have membrane-bound organelles; prokaryotes do not

 

D. Mitochondria are large organelles with double membranes where cellular respiration (breaking down glucose to get energy) occurs

1. Energy from glucose is used to make ATP or adenosine triphosphate

 

2. Cells use the ATP molecule for energy

3. More active cells like muscle cells have more mitochondria

 

4. Outer membrane is smooth, while inner membrane has long folds called cristae

 

5. Have their own DNA to make more mitochondria when needed

E. Ribosomes are not surrounded by a membrane & are where proteins are made in the cytoplasm (protein synthesis)

 

1. Most numerous organelle

2. May be free in the cytoplasm or attached to the rough ER (endoplasmic reticulum)

F. Endoplasmic reticulum are membranous tubules & sacs that transport molecules from one part of the cell to another

1. Rough ER has embedded ribosomes on its surfaces for making proteins

2. Smooth ER lacks ribosomes & helps break down poisons, wastes, & other toxic chemicals

3. Smooth ER also helps process carbohydrates & lipids (fats)

4. The ER network connects the nucleus with the cell membrane

 

G. Golgi Apparatus modifies, packages, & helps secrete cell products such as proteins and hormones

1. Consists of a stack of flattened sacs called cisternae

 

2. Receives products made by the ER

 

H. Lysosomes are small organelles containing hydrolytic enzymes to digest materials for the cell

1. Single membrane

2. Formed from the ends of Golgi that pinch off

 

3. Found in most cells except plant cells

I. Cytoskeleton consists of a network of long protein tubes & strands in the cytoplasm to give cells shape and helps move organelles

 

1. Composed of 2 protein structures — microtubules, intermediate filaments, & microfilaments

 

2. Microfilaments are ropelike structures made of 2 twisted strands of the protein actin capable of contracting to cause cellular movement (muscle cells have many microfilaments)

3. Microtubules are larger, hollow tubules of the protein called tubulin that maintain cell shape, serve as tracks for organelle movement, & help cells divide by forming spindle fibers that separate chromosome pairs

 

Cytoskeleton Element  General Function
Microtubules Move materials within the cell
Move the cilia and flagella
Actin Filaments Move the cell
Intermediate Filaments Provides mechanical support

 

 

J. Cilia are short, more numerous hair like structures made of bundles of microtubules to help cells move

 

1. Line respiratory tract to remove dust & move paramecia


Cross section of Cilia & Flagella

K. Flagella are long whip like tails of microtubules bundles used for movement (usually 1-3 in number)

1. Help sperm cells swim to egg

L. Nucleus (nuclei) in the middle of the cell contains DNA (hereditary material of the cell) & acts as the control center

 

1. Most cells have 1 nucleolus, but some have several

2. Has a protein skeleton to keep its shape

3. Surrounded by a double layer called the nuclear envelope containing pores

4. Chromatin is the long strand of DNA in the nucleus, which coils during cell division to make chromosomes

 

5. Nucleolus (nucleoli) inside the nucleus makes ribosomes & disappears during cell division

 

M. Cell walls are nonliving, protective layers around the cell membrane in plants, bacteria, & fungi

1. Fungal cell walls are made of chitin, while plant cell walls are made of cellulose

 

2. Consist of a primary cell wall made first and a woody secondary cell wall in some plants

 

N. Vacuoles are the largest organelle in plants taking up most of the space

1. Serves as a storage area for proteins, ions, wastes, and cell products such as glucose

 

2. May contain poisons to keep animals from eating them

3. Animal vacuoles are smaller & used for digestion

O. Plastids in plants make or store food & contain pigments to trap sunlight

1. Chloroplast is a plastid that captures sunlight to make O2 and glucose during photosynthesis; contains chlorophyll

a. Double membrane organelle with an inner system of membranous sacs called thylakoids

 

b. Thylakoids made of stacks of grana containing chlorophyll

2. Other plastids contain red, orange, and yellow pigments

3. Found in plants, algae, & seaweed

X. Multicellular Organization

 

A. Cells are specialized to perform one or a few functions in multicellular organisms

B. Cells in multicellular organisms depend on each other

 

C. The levels of organization include:
Cells –> Tissues –> Organs –> Systems –> Organism

D. Tissues are groups of cells that performs a particular function (e.g. Muscle)

 

E. Organs are groups of tissues working together to do a job (e.g. heart, lungs, kidneys, brain)

F. Systems are made of several organs working together to carry out a life process (e.g. Respiratory system for breathing)

G. Plants have specialized tissues & organs different from animals

1. Dermal tissue forms the outer covering of plants

2. Ground tissue makes up roots & stems

3. Vascular tissue transports food & water

4. The four plant organs are the root, stem, leaf, & flower

 

H. Colonial organisms are made of cells living closely together in a connected group but without tissues & organs (e.g. Volvox)