Biology Primer

PhysMathBioSens

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 The players
Cell: quantum of life
Membrane surrounding a fluidic medium called cytoplasm
which contains bio-molecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins
(enzymes), small molecules (ATP, ADP ....)

Cells range from about 1 m to tens of m. Mammalian

cells are typically larger than say, bacterial cells

Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic cells

Pros: do not have membrane bound organelles such as nucleus or
mitochondria, older in the evolutionary chain, e.g. Bacteria
Eus: Modern cells, e.g. Mammalian. Have several membrane
bound organelles inside cytoplasm

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 The Cell

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 Basic Functional Unit: Cell

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 Organelles in the Cell
Cell membrane
Nucleus
Ribosomes
Endoplasmic Reticulum
Mitichondria

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 Cell Membrane

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 Nucleus

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 Genetic Information: DNA

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 Central Dogma of Biology

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 Nucleobases

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 Absorption Spectrum

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 Sugars and Nucleosides

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 Nucleotides: NTPs

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 ATP: Energy Currency in Biology

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 DNA Chain

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 Sequence

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 Length of Chain
0.35 nm inter-base gap

2 nm dia

Human has 3x109 bases

Extremely long ~ m

Needs to be packed into a

cell ~ 10 m

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 DNA Packing

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 Genetic Information: DNA
Sequence of nucleotides

ACTTGGATT
TGAACCTAA

Base-pairing rule
AT and GC

Gene = a portion of the sequence

Gene proteins

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 Genetic Information: RNA
Similar to DNA, i.e. made of same molecules except U
instead of T

Base pairing rules apply with U instead of T

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 Information Transfer
DNA has all the information

DNA mRNA (Transcription)

mRNA Amino acid sequences (tRNA)

Amino acid sequences proteins (folding)

Proteins modifications (post-translational

modifications, PTM, e.g. phosphorylation, glycosilyation)

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 DNA Replication

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 Information Transfer
Transcription Tranlation Post-translational modifications (PTM)

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