Class Assignment I
(due date: Lecture 7)
Topic 1.
Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus and other membrane-bound compartments
Proteins can be tagged with radioactivity and specific molecules (antibodies) so they can be
detected in particular cell fractions. Liver cells were exposed to radioactive amino acids for 3
minutes, which made all proteins being synthesized during that period radioactive. Then the
radioactive amino acids were removed and, at 5-minute intervals, portions of the cells were
broken open and fractionatedthe organelles were separated from one another. An antibody to
the protein lipase was used to distinguish lipase from all the other proteins present. The
percentage of radioactively labeled lipase in several cell compartments was determined. The
table shows the results.
1. What can you conclude about the pathway of lipase in the cell after it is synthesized?
2. Look up the function of lipase. Why is its organelle destination appropriate?
Topic 2.
Biological membranes have a common structure and are fluid
The membrane lipids of a cell can be labeled with a fluorescent tag so the entire surface of the
cell will glow evenly under ultraviolet light. If a strong laser light is then shone on a tiny region
of the cell, that region gets bleached (the strong light destroys the fluorescent tag) and there is a
hole in the cell surface fluorescence. After the laser is turned off, the hole gradually fills in
with fluorescent lipids that diffuse in from other parts of the membrane. The time it takes for the
hole to disappear is a measure of membrane fluidity. The table shows some data for cells with
altered membrane compositions. Explain the effect of each alteration.
Topic 3.
Some substances require energy to cross the membrane
The liver plays several vital metabolic roles, including protein synthesis, detoxification, and the
production of substances necessary for digestion. Liver cells are in contact with the blood and
exchange a variety of substances with the blood plasma (the noncellular part of blood). Below
and at right is a list of observations about the relative concentrations of various molecules in a
liver cell cytoplasm and in the blood plasma. Explain each observation in terms of membrane
permeability and transport mechanisms.
1. The concentration of serum albumin, a blood protein, is much higher in the plasma.
2. The concentration of RNA is much higher in the cytoplasm.
3. The concentration of Na+ is lower in the cytoplasm.
4. The concentration of water is equal in the plasma and the cytoplasm.
5. The concentration of low-density lipoproteins is higher in the cytoplasm.
6. The concentration of glucose is equal in the plasma and the cytoplasm.
7. If K+ enters the plasma, its concentration rapidly equalizes between the plasma and the
cytoplasm.
Topic 4.
During photosynthesis, light energy is converted to chemical energy
The key role of water in supplying electrons for reduction of light-activated chlorophyll in the
light reactions and in the release of O2 to the atmosphere in the process of energy conversion has
been investigated using isotopes of oxygen. The 18O isotope is heavier than normal oxygen (16O),
and a mass spectrometer can be used to detect the difference. Green plant cells were exposed to
light, water, and CO2. (The CO2 was supplied as the bicarbonate ion HCO3, which forms CO2
when dissolved in water). In the first experiment, some of the oxygen atoms in the water
molecules were 18O (H218O), while CO2 had the normal form of oxygen (C16O2). In the second
experiment, the situation was reversed, with H216O and C18O2 being supplied to the plants. After
2 hours of photosynthesis, the ratio of 18O to 16O was measured in the O2 produced by the cells.
1. In experiment 1, was the isotopic ratio of O2 more similar to that of H2O or CO2?
2. What about experiment 2?
3. What can you conclude from these data?
Topic 5.
Meiosis halves the nuclear chromosome content and generates diversity
In the anther (male sex organ) of the lily plant, cells undergo mitosis in synchrony. These cells
can be removed and studied in the laboratory. An antibody was developed that would bind
specifically to a chromosomal protein called B1. A procedure involving antibody binding and
staining of the antibody was used to detect the protein in the anther cells. The protein was
detected at the centromeres of mitotic chromosomes, and its presence or absence was monitored
at different stages of the cell cycle. The results were: G1, absent; early S, absent; late S through
metaphase, present; anaphase, absent; telophase, absent.
1. Propose a role for this protein in sister chromatid function.
2. What results would you expect if meiotic cells were examined for this protein? At what stages
of meiosis would the protein be present or absent?