WGU Biochemistry OA (Latest 2022/2023) Verified Answers
Bohr Effect chart (low pH)
C- High CO2
H- High H+
A- Acidic
R-Release of O2(rt. Shift)
T-
... [Show More] tense state (in tissues)
Primary structure
Sequence of amino acids that make up a protein
Secondary Structure
Sequence of amino acids fold.
Tertiary Structure
-more folding in a 3D shape.
-R groups (side chains)
Quaternary Structure
Protein has more than 1 polypeptide chain.
Chemical reaction
-absorb and release energy
-activation energy
-energy is released (heat & light) when bonds are broken.
Exothermic reaction
Exo=to release
Thermo=heat
-chemical reaction that releases more energy than it absorbs (as heat & light)
Example of exothermic reaction
Cellular respiration- breaks down glucose to make cellular energy
Endothermic reaction
Endo=absorb
Thermos=heat
-absorbs more energy than it releases
Example of endothermic reaction
Photosynthesis- takes in light to break down to create glucose
Catalyst
Substance that will decrease the activation energy needed to start a chemical reaction
Enzymes
-catalysts used by cells
-increase the rate of chemical reaction
-specific to substrates
Enzyme structure
-they are proteins
-twist, fold, bend to final shape
-shape attracts specific molecules
Substrate
Molecules that bind to the enzyme
Active site
-location on enzyme where substrate binds
Function of DNA polymerase in process of PCR.
-increase expression
-2 genes
-SIRT1 & SIRT2
Function of a molecule
Structural component of the lipid bilayer
How would lipid production in a cell change in order to maintain fluidity of its cell membrane as it adapts to lower temperatures?
Produce lipids with shorter fatty acid chains
Function of cholesterol
Maintains membrane fluidity
Lipid (fat) soluble vitamins
A, D, E, K
What stimulates beta-oxidation of fatty acids?
An increase in NAD+ concentration in the mitochondrial matrix
What occurs in an otherwise healthy person whose diet has very few carbs and high levels of fats?
Acetone is produced in the blood
Amino acids
-Non-polar (hydrophobic)
-Polar charged
-Polar uncharged
Which type of mammalian DNA damage repair requires the presence of the chromosome that is homologous to the damaged chromosome?
Recombination
Xeroxerma Pigmentosum (XP)
A recessive genetic disease that occurs when one or more of the genes that perform nucleotide excision repair are nonfunctional
Why do XP patients have a much higher incidence of skin cancer than the general population?
The mutation of all other genes is higher due to failure to repair.
Assuming 100% reaction efficiency, how many DNA copies are created after the completion of 4 complete PCR cycles?
16
What is the function of DNA polymerase in the process of PCR?
It recognizes the primers and uses the available dNTPs to replicate the template DNA sequence.
What difference in the regions of the SIRT1 & SIRT2 genes in people addicted to cocaine increases their expression?
The nucleosomes become more widely spaced.
What occurs during the process of alternative splicing of RNA?
Alternate combinations of Exons within the same gene are linked together.
Polypeptides
-functional proteins
-made of folded up polymers
Elements
Substance that cannot be broken down into another substance by chemical reaction.
Ionic bond
Actions share + & - charge
Covalent bond
When atoms share electrons
Hydrogen bond
Forms when portion of a polar molecule that is partially positive interacts with portion of a polar molecule that is partially negative
Van der Waals interactions
Occur due to random, transient movements of electrons that at any given instant, give molecules regions of + & - charges.
Amino acid
-has amino group (-NH2)
-& a carbonyl group (-COOH)
-cx. Based on side chains
Elevated levels of AST & ALT
-indicates liver damage
(When damaged, their protein contents can spill into blood stream)
Which level of protein structure is disrupted through the hydrolysis of peptide bonds?
Primary
Sickle cell disease
Caused by mutation in the Hgb-beta gene. (Causes cells to become rigid, sticky, misshapen.)
Which force is most influential in determining the secondary structure of a protein?
Hydrogen bonding
Hydrophobic effect
Tendency of non polar substances to aggregate in an aqueous solution & exclude water molecules.
Hydrophobic interaction
Mutation of gene for protein that leads to substitution of no polar amino acid with charged amino acid
Dopamine
-neurotransmitter
-variety of functions (including motor control)
Parkinson's = decreases dopamine. Sinemet helps by increasing dopamine levels.
Lactose breaks down into :
Glucose and galactose
Frameshift mutation
-insertion or deletion of 1 or 2 nucleotides
Missense mutation
-substitution of one amino acid for another
-results in 10 different amino acids or 10 missense mutations
Nonsense mutation
-premature stop codon incorporated into the sequence
-leads to a shorter protein
Carbohydrates
-linear
-CH2O formula
-energy=glucose
-structure=cellulose
Lipids
-energy storage
-signaling
-high amount of C
DNA
-twisted ladder
-double helix
-in nucleus
-deoxyribose
-bases= Anine, Thymine, Cytosine, Guarine
-in all molecules
-have nucleotides
RNA
-plays "messenger"
-in & outside nucleus
-ribose
-Adenine, Uracil, Guarine, Cytosine
-mRNA=messenger (takes message to ribosome)
-rRNA=ribosomal RNA
-tRNA=transfers amino acids
Transcription
-comes first! Transcribes DNA into message.
(RNA polymerase will connect complementary bases. mRNA can go out of nucleus to attach to ribosome of rRNA)
How do rising blood CO2 levels promote the deoxygenated confirmation of hemoglobin?
CO2 reacts with H2O in the blood & decreases pH, which promotes the dome confirmation of the heme group.
How does hemoglobin keep blood pH neutral during exercise?
Deoxygenated hemoglobin binds to excess H+
What is occurring in surrounding tissues as the amount of hemoglobin saturated with oxygen increases?
The concentration of hydrogen ions decreases.
Translation
-2nd step
-builds protein
(tRNA leaves behind its amino acid, built chain of amino acids)
Factors that favor the oxygenated form of hemoglobin:
-increased pH
-decreased CO2
Which metal ion is bound to the porphyrin ring in hemoglobin?
Iron
Which feature of hemoglobin makes it an effective O2 transport molecule?
It's affinity for O2 is regulated by pH.
What is a temporary modification to protein structure by kinases that alters enzyme function?
Phosphorylation
Which type of inhibition occurs when a particular drug binds to the allosteric site of an enzyme and subsequently changes the enzyme's structure?
Noncompetitive
Proteases
-a class of enzymes
-hydrolyze protein strands into smaller units
-increase pH= significant decrease in protease activity
How do the rates of enzyme catalyzed reactions compare to those of corresponding uncatalyzed reactions?
They are 10^6 to 10^12 times faster.
Which change will likely increase the activity of an enzyme currently at optimal conditions?
Significantly increasing substrate concentrations
What occurs immediately after the appropriate molecule enters the active site of the enzyme?
The enzyme binds to the molecule to form an enzyme molecule complex.
Are enzymes specific?
Yes
What process is disrupted after a patient invests excessive antacid that neutralizes the pH of the stomach?
Protein catabolism
In Alzheimer's patients, which biochemical event is responsible for their behavior?
Protein aggregation
In which situation would altering a protein structure lead to a disease state?
A mutation aconitase blocks essential step in aerobic metabolism
Which force is most influential in determining the tertiary structure of a protein?
Hydrophobic effect
Quaternary structure
Large, functional protein structure composed or smaller proteins with multiple subunits.
Primary
Level of protein structure established through the dehydration synthesis of peptide bonds
Describe the protein gradient of the proton that during aerobic metabolism.
There is a higher H+ concentration in the inter membrane space than in the matrix.
Which complex polysaccharide acts as an energy storing molecule in the liver?
Glycogen
How does insulin impact carbohydrate metabolism?
It stimulates the uptake of glucose from the blood by cells in the body.
What occurs during the biochemical process of glucation?
A covalent bond forms between a sugar and a protein or liquid.
Which metabolic pathway involves coenzyme A, NAD, & FAD?
Beta oxidation
Which cellular condition prompts the cell to perform fermentation rather than the citric acid cycle?
Lack of O2
What causes the symptoms of NIDDM type 2?
There are not enough GluT4 transporters on plasma membranes.
Which molecule is pyruvate directly converted to under aerobic conditions?
Acetyl CoA
Which cellular organelle required for the citric acid cycle and electron transport chain is not present in RBCs?
Mitochondria
Which molecule is replenished by fermentation?
NAD+
Which pathway is triggered by the intake of carbs during exercise?
Glycolysis
How many ATP molecules are used in the conversion of pyruvate to glucose?
6
Increased expression
Make proteins
Decreased expression
Not making proteins
Promoter
Start line
Methylation
-methyl (CH3)
-mRNA added to DNA or nuclosomes
- causes decreased expression
Base excision repair
-only 1 nucleotide damaged
- remove and replace
Nucleotide excision repair
-more than 1 nucleotide damaged
-cut a sequence & replace that section
Mismatch repair
-happens in mistakes with DNA replication
-DNA polymerase proofreads to see if make a right choice, but makes a mistake.
-remove big section of damage and replace all of it
Homologous recombination
-use 2nd copy of the DNA to copy back the correct info
- double strand (cut DNA in 2), break
Non-homologous end-joining
-happens before DNA replication
-trim the ends-stuck back together
PCR
-DNA replication in a test tube
-Denature, Anneal, Elongation, Repeat
Denature
-step 1 of PCR
-increase heat to separate the DNA
Anneal
-step 2 of PCR
-use DNA primers that match the gene to find only the gene we want (ex: to find BRCA gene)
Elongation
-step 3 of PCR
-use DNA polymerase to make copies of our genes
Which ingredients/molecules are required to set up a PCR?
-DNA polymerase (elongation)
-DNA nucleotides (dNTPs)
-primers (annealing)
-template DNA (patient DNA)
DNA polymerase always makes strands :
5'-3'
What breaks ionic bonds?
-pH changes
-salt changes
What breaks hydrogen bonds?
-pH and salt changes
(Disulfide bonds broken by reducing agent)
What breaks hydrophobic bonds?
Heat
Types of bonds from strongest to weakest
-disulfide bond
-ionic bond
-hydrogen bond
-hydrophobic bond
Which bond is weakest, but have most influence on protein structure because of how many there are?
Hydrophobic bond
Quaternary Structure
-only some proteins will get here
-2 or more subunits
-proteins
-Polypeptides
(Example= myoglobin and hemoglobin)
Hydrolysis
Broken peptide bonds
Chaperones
Help fold proteins
Denature
-have an environmental change that causes a protein to misfold or unfold.
-breaking side change & secondary structure bonds
-disulfide=reducing agent
-ionic=pH or salt change
-hydrophobic=heat change
Degradation
Break peptide bonds
(Hydrolysis)
Aggregation
-proteins clump together in abnormal way (d/t hydrophobic interactions)
Enzymes
-functional proteins
-catalysts
-reusable (can be recycled!)
-specific
-induced fit
-work like assembly line (enzyme pathway)
Feedback inhibition
-stop the enzyme "assembly line" because we have too much "product"
-happens naturally to maintain homeostasis
Competitive inhibition
-medicine/drugs
-competitive inhibitor will bind to active site to prevent substrate from binding
-(overcome inhibition by adding more substrate)
Non-competitive inhibition
-more effective
-bind to allosteric site of enzyme
-changes the shape of the protein
DNA
-phosphate + deoxyribose sugar + A/T/C/G
-contains 2 strands
-the strands are anti-parallel (opposite each other) :
5'-3'
3'-5'
RNA
-phosphate + ribose sugar + A/U/C/G
-single strand (can fold back onto itself & form pairs between itself (stem-loop)
Nucleotides
-contain one or more phosphates
-a 5 carbon sugar and a nitrogen base
-always in the 5' to 3' direction
DNA organization
DNA is wrapped around proteins called histones -~nucleosomes-~chromatin fiber-~ chromosomes
Pairing
DNA= A—T
RNA= A—U
Steps of DNA replication
-DNA is separated, creating a replication fork (by helicase)
-primase attaches on RNA primer, where the replication starts
-DNA polymerase adds bases to remaining of the strand until it reaches a stop codon. (This is done in fragments-"ozaki fragments"
-DNA ligase seals the 2 strands forming a double helix
Epigenetics
-involves packaging of DNA (packages are called nucleosomes. How tightly packed they are determines whether or not the gene is on or off)
-loosely packed=transcription possible
-tightly packed=transcription impeded
Point mutations
When one of the DNA bases (nucleotides) are replaced with another, results in a different protein.
Myoglobin
- 1 subunit
- tertiary
- used for O2 storage
- in muscles
-high affinity (how tightly it holds onto something)
Hemoglobin
- 4 subunits
-quaternary
-for O2 transport
-moving through blood from lungs to tissues
-low affinity (because it gives O2 up)
Heme
-special molecule inside the protein
-iron (Fe)
-where O2 binds
-in myoglobin, carries 1 O2
-in hemoglobin carries 4 O2
CO
-carbon monoxide (1 O2)
-poison!
-binds to hgb on the heme & blocks O2 from binding
-has 200 x higher affinity
-a competitive inhibitor
-puts hgb into the R state (makes hgb want to bind hgb even more)
-this is why it is so dangerous, our hgb picks it up instead of O2)
2, 3, BPG
-produced in our body naturally
-similar function to H+ (stabilizes the T state)
-produced in 2 cases (high altitudes & pregnancy)
Hemoglobins role I'm CO poisoning
Hgb binds to CO with a higher affinity than O2 & stabilizes the R state
What facilitates the transition of hgb from the R state to the T state?
An increase in the concentration of H+
Carbohydrate metabolism
1. Glycolysis
2. Citric acid cycle (aerobic)
3. Electron transport chain (aerobic)
4. Firmentation (anaerobic)
5. Gluconeogenesis (anaerobic)
What occurs during aerobic respiration?
NADH & FADH2 are produced from NAD & FAD during citric acid cycles.
-NADH & FADH2 donate electrons to the ETC, re-engineering NAD & FAD.
-O2 accepts electrons, producing water
What directly provides the energy necessary for the conversion of ADP to ATP by ATP synthase?
Protons moving down a concentration gradient from the intermembrane space to the mitochondrial matrix.
Cori Cycle
-muscle cells produce lactate which is then converted to glucose in the liver
Exonuclease
During DNA replication, if an error is detected, DNA polymerase removes the nucleotides and replaces them with correct ones.
Glyco/ gluco
Glucose
Genesis
Make
Lysis
Break
Neo
New
Insulin
-increase glucose in blood
-fed state(after we eat, increase glucose=pancreas releases insulin)
-lets glucose into cells
-signals for GluT4 to go to cell membrane
Glycolysis
-break glucose
-make ATP (useable energy)
Glycogenesis
-store glucose as glycogen (short term storage)
-in liver
Fatty acid synthesis
- make fat from acetyl CoA
-fats stored in triglycerides (3 fatty acids)
-adipose tissue (long term storage)
Glycogenolysis
Break glucose out of glycogen
Gluconeogenesis
-make new glucose(from lactate)
-acetyl CoA~pyruvate~glucose
-glycerol (from triglycerides)
-amino acids(last resort!)
Beta oxidation
Break fats into acetyl CoA
Fatty acid structures
-made up of carbonyl groups
Saturated fatty acids
-no double bonds
-maximum Hs
Unsaturated fatty acid
-(not saturated with Hs)
-at least 1 double bond
-lose 2 Hs per double bond
Essential
-we have to eat it (our bodies cannot make it)
-omega 3
-omega 6
- essential for building other types of lipids [Show Less]