📖Molecular biology of the cell
- authors
- Alberts, Bruce and Johnson, Alexander D. and Lewis, Julian and Morgan, David and Raff, Martin and Roberts, Keith, and Walter, Peter
- year
- 2015
Chapter 1.
- p.3 DNA—polymer, nucleotide—monomer
- p.3 DNA nucleotide:
- sugar (deoxyribose) + phosphate group
- nucleobase (A, G, C, T)
- p.3 nucleotide is assymetric
- the phosphate group determines the directionality
- so DNA is always read in the same order
- p.3 two strands of DNA have opposite directionality
- p.3 templated polymerization—one strand of DNA determines in which order a complementary strand is composed
- p.4 the bond between bases is weak compared to sugar-phosphate link.
- this allows strands to be pulled apart without breaking phosphates
- p.4 DNA —(transcription)→ RNA —(translation)→ proteins
- transcription is a form of templated polymerization
- p.4 RNA
- sugar (ribose instead of dioxyribose) + phosphate group
- nucleobase (A, C, G, U)
- p.5 RNA backbone is more flexible, so some parts of the molecule can bond to other part of the same molecule (AAAA–UUUU)
- (can mRNA fold “inadvertenly?”)
- p.5 protein—polymer, amino acid—monomer
- p.6 there are 20 amino acids
- p.7 codon—a triplet of nucleotides
- codes 1 amino acid
- p.7 gene—a region of DNA that is transcribed as a single unit
- single protein
- set of alternative protein variants
- catalyctic, regulatory, or structured RNA molecule
- p.7 besides genes, there are stretches of regulatory DNA
- p.7 genome—complete DNA sequence
- membranes
- p.8 each cell is enclosed by plasma membrane
- p.8 membranes consist of phospholipids
- p.8 phospholipid has hydrophilic end (loves water, phoshate) and hydrophobic end (does not like water, hydrocarbon)
- self-organizes in a bilayer to hide hydrocarbon and expose phosphate
- p.8 cells produce molecules that self-assemble in the structures the cell needs
- p.11 feeding:
- organothrophic (other life)
- photothrophic (sunlight)
- lithothrophic (rock)
- p.12 DNA, RNA, and protein are composed of just six elements: hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, phosphorus
- p.12 N and C from atmosphere are extremely unreactive. only some of the cells fix them to the form accessible for other living cells to consume
- p.13 eukaryote—DNA inside nucleus (“eu”—“well,” “truly”; “karyon”—“kernel,” “nucleus”); prokaryote—no nucleus
- prokaryotes are usually small (~few micrometers, up to 600)
- p.14 most species cannot be cultured by standard laboratory techniques. at least 99% of prokaryotic species remain to be characterized
- p.15 three major divisions (domains)
- bacteria (eubacteria)
- archaea (archaebacteria)
- eukaryotes
- p.15 some highly optimized/critical proteins are unlikely to evolve (as most of the changes lead to error and death). they are highly conserved. (e.g., ribosome)
- (they can be used to track origins of species)
- p.16 genetic innovation:
- intragenic mutation
- gene duplication
- DNA segment shuffling
- horizontal (intercellular) transfer
- p.16 homologs = related genes
- orthologs = evolved in different species
- paralogs = evolved in one species (duplicate + mutate)
- p.24 phagocytosis—engulfing/eating other cells
- p.25 eukaryotes likely started as predators
- (large, high mobility, able to engulf other cells)
- p.25 all eukaryotes have (or had) mitochondria
- p.26 as mytochondria, chloroplasts also have their own genome and almost certainly originated as photosynthetic bacteria, acquired by eukaryotes that already possessed mitochondria
- p.39 unknown: how did the first cell membrane arise?
Chapter 2.
- p.43 cells are 70% water
- p.44 life chemistry depends on water properties (likely because life started in water)
- p.43 atoms are linked by covalent bonds to form molecule; molecules can be held together by noncovalent bonds (which are much weaker)
- p.44 is strongly attractive for electrons (electronegative) and —weakly. So the whole molecule has uneven distribution of electrons. That uneven distribution makes water molecules form hydrogen bond.
- this bond is weak and is easily broken by random thermal motion, so this bond is very short-living, but there are many of them at any time
- (this causes surface tension and makes water liquid)
- this bond is weak and is easily broken by random thermal motion, so this bond is very short-living, but there are many of them at any time
- p.44 hydrophobic molecules are uncharged and form no hydrogen bonds
- p.94 noncovalent bonds
- van der Waals attractions
- electrostatic attractions
- hydrogen bonds
- hydrophobic forces (not strictly a force)
- p.94 hydrogen bonds are formed when hydrogen is “sandwiched” between two electron-attracting atoms (usually O or N)
- strongest when in a straight line
- examples
- in amino-acids to stabilize folded proteins
- in nucleobases in DNA double helix
- p.95 hydrophobic forces—water forces hydrohobic molecules close together
- p.45 though one noncovalent bond is too weak, they can sum up over a surface of a molecule to hold two molecules together
- acids/bases
- p.46 —proton; —hydronium ion
- p.46 acid—substance that releases protons when it dissolved in water, thus forming
- p.46
- protons move freely from one molecule to another in water, thus water has pH 7.0 (10-7M — mol/l)
- p.46 base (alkaline)—opposite of acid
- aminogroup ().
- p.46 cells keep acidity close to pH7 (neutral) by keeping buffers: weak acids and bases that can release and take up protons near pH7, keeping the environment relatively constant
p.47 main chemical groups:
methyl hydroxyl carboxyl carbonyl phosphate sulfhydryl amino - p.47 cells contain 4 major families of small molecules
- sugars → polyscharides
- fatty acids → fats, lipids, membranes
- necleotides → nucleic acid
- amino acids → proteins
- p.49 condensation/hydrolisys
- condensation = (energetically unfavorable)
- hydrolisis = (energetically favorable)
- p.52 metabolism = catabolic pathway (food to components) + anabolic pathway (or biosynthesis, component to molecules)
- p.56 oxidation—removal of electrons, reduction—addition of electrons
- oxidation and reduction always occur together
- activated carriers
- p.63 activated carrier (aka cofactor, aka coenzyme):
- ATP
- NADH
- NADPH
- there are other carriers
- p.69 activated carriers often contain a nucleotide (usually, adinosine diphosphate). this might be a relic from RNA world, where it would be useful to bind to RNA enzymes
- (or could they evolve from RNA?)
p.69
activated carrier group carried in high-energy linkage ATP phosphate NADH, NADPH, FADH_2 electrons and hydrogen Acetyl CoA Acetyl group Carboxylated biotin Carboxyl group S-Adenosyl methionine (SAM-e) Methyl group Uridine diphosphate glucose Glucose - p.70 many activated carriers require energy that is derived from ATP
- p.74 ATP→ADP hydrolisis provides ΔG ~ -46–-54 kJ/mol.
- there is another pathway with ΔG ~100kJ/mol (ATP → AMP + pyrophosphate (PPi))
- p.63 activated carrier (aka cofactor, aka coenzyme):
- p.73 head/tail polymerization
- sugar oxidation
- glycolysis is an oxidation of glucose that does not require oxygen
- p.74 (pp.104–105) glycolysis = glucose + 2×ATP → 2×pyruvate + 4×ATP + 2×NADH
- p.75 for aerobic cells, glycolysis is only the start of sugar oxidation
- p.75 (happens in mitochondria)
- p.76 fermentation—anaerobic energy-yielding metabolic pathway involving the oxidation of organic molecules. Anaerobic glycolysis to the process whereby pyruvate is converted into lactate or ethanol, with the conversion of NADH to NAD+
- energy storage
- fat / glycogen (in animals) / starch (in plants)
- fat is 2× more efficient storage of energy than glycogen. glycogen also binds more water, producing 6× actual difference
- glycolysis is an oxidation of glucose that does not require oxygen