The University of Arizona

MIC205B Exam 1 Study guide

 

Carbohydrates and Lipids

  • The four major biological macromolecules
  • Why are carbohydrates and lipids important to the cell
  • The basic structure of carbohydrates and how the carbons are numbered
  • The difference between α and β forms of monosaccharides
  • How monosaccharides are linked together and the difference between different linkages
  • Formula structures of glucose, ribose, deoxyribose and dideoxyribose
  • Difference between hydrophobic, hydrophilic and amphipathic, polar and non-polar
  • Why Lipids are important components of bacterial membranes
  • Major types of Lipids
  • General structure of a fatty acid, and difference between saturated and unsaturated
  • Components, formation and importance of triglycerides and phospholipids

 

Proteins and Nucleic acids

  • Why are proteins and nucleic acids important to the cell
  • Basic structure of an amino acid
  • Why the side-chain of an amino acid determines its properties
  • The difference between L- and D-form amino acids and where they are found
  • How amino acids are joined together to form proteins
  • Difference between primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary protein structure
  • Components of nucleotides
  • How nucleotides are polymerized into DNA or RNA
  • Directionality of nucleic acids
  • General structure of DNA and RNA

 

Membranes and Lipids

  • Differences between Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria in cell envelope structure
  • Understand the Gram stain
  • Components and properties of the plasma membrane
  • What does membrane fluidity mean
  • What does selectively permeable mean
  • Differences in the peptidoglycan layer between Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria
  • Basic structure of peptidoglycan and its importance in the cell
  • I don’t expect you to be able to draw the structures, but you should be able to draw a schematic diagram of peptidoglycan
  • What is difference between NAM and NAG
  • Why is the tetrapeptide (containing unusual amino acids) important, what unusual bonds are in this structure
  • How are peptidoglycan strands crosslinked
  • Action of penicillin and lysozyme
  • Difference between isotonic, hypotonic and hypertonic condition and their effects on cell with and without cell walls
  • General techoic acid structure
  • General structure and importance of the outer membrane of Gram negative bacteria
  • General structure and importance of lipopolysaccharide

 

Membranes and cell walls – Transport

  • Mechanisms by which nutrients are transported across the plasma membrane
  • Difference between between passive and active transport
  • Use of ATP and proton motive force in transport
  • Mechanisms of protein secretion in bacteria