Unit 2-AP Bio
Researchers investigate the transport of a certain protein into cells by endocytosis. In an experiment, the researchers incubate the cells in the presence of the protein and measure the amount of the protein that is absorbed into the cells over a five-minute period. Based on their observations, what should the researchers do to further clarify how the availability of the protein outside the cells affects the rate of endocytosis of the protein?
Incubate the cells in the presence of several different concentrations of the protein.
Region 1 is hydrophilic because it interacts with an aqueous environment, whereas region 2 is hydrophobic because it interacts with the interior of the membrane.
A cell membrane is a phospholipid bilayer that separates one aqueous environment from another. The interior of a phospholipid bilayer is a hydrophobic environment. Because region 1 interacts with the aqueous environment on one side of the phospholipid bilayer, it is most likely hydrophilic. Because region 2 interacts with the interior of the phospholipid bilayer, it is most likely hydrophobic.
A study was conducted to understand the factors controlling the rate at which molecules or ions travel across cell membranes. An artificial membrane was created that was composed of a phospholipid bilayer only. The speed at which various substances crossed this membrane was measured. Some substances can pass through an actual cell membrane much faster than they passed through the artificial membrane in this study. Which of the following statements best explains this finding?
Actual cell membranes have a variety of proteins embedded in the membrane that are absent in the artificial membrane.
A magnesium sulfate solution taken orally can cause a net movement of water into the large intestine, which results from water molecules diffusing through aquaporins embedded in the cells of the intestinal lining. By which of the following mechanisms do the water molecules most likely move into the large intestine?
By passive transport from an area of low osmolarity to an area of high osmolarity
Aldosterone (a steroid hormone) is a small, nonpolar, hydrophobic molecule that enters a target cell by moving across the plasma membrane, down a concentration gradient. Based on the information presented, how does aldosterone most likely enter target cells?
By simple diffusion
The cell membrane is selectively permeable due to its structure. Thus, the internal environment of the cell is distinct from the external environment of the cell. One biologist hypothesizes that small nonpolar molecules readily pass through the membrane. Another biologist alternatively hypothesizes that these types of molecules require channel and transport proteins that are embedded in the membrane in order to move across the membrane. Which of the following data would best refute this alternative hypothesis?
CO2 and N2 movement in and out of cells is unaffected when membrane protein activity is blocked.
Researchers have proposed a model of chloroplast evolution. According to the model, chloroplasts evolved from a small prokaryotic organism that was engulfed by an ancestral eukaryote. The engulfed prokaryote then formed an endosymbiotic relationship with the eukaryotic host. Which of the following observations best supports the model?
Chloroplasts and some prokaryotes share similar photosynthetic reactions.
Some viral infections can lead to the rupture of the lysosome membrane. Which prediction of the effect of this disruption of cellular compartmentalization is most likely correct?
Hydrolytic enzymes will be released, which will cause cell death.
In an experiment, researchers compared the growth of two different plants, plant X and plant Y. The researchers maintained the plants under nearly identical conditions and observed that plant X grew faster than plant Y. The researchers also observed that the inner mitochondrial membranes of plant X had more folds than did those of plant Y. Which of the following conclusions about increasing the number of folds in the inner mitochondrial membrane is best supported by the results of the experiment?
It increases the surface area available for ATP production, which results in faster cell growth. The increased surface area of the folds will contain more ATP synthase, allowing for more efficient use of the chemiosmotic gradient and more efficient production of ATP. The observation that plant X grew faster than plant Y supports this conclusion.
Euglenids are single-cell eukaryotes that live in aquatic environments. The chloroplasts found inside euglenids are enveloped by three membranes, as represented in Figure 1. The inner membrane of euglenid chloroplasts resembles the thylakoid membrane. Which of the following claims about the origin of the euglenid chloroplast is best supported by the three-membrane structure of the envelope?
It originated from the incorporation of a photosynthetic prokaryote into a eukaryotic cell by two endosymbiotic events. The three-membrane structure of the chloroplast envelope best supports the claim presented in this answer choice. The three-membrane structure most likely resulted from two endosymbiotic events, with the middle membrane originating from the first event and the outer membrane originating from the second event.
In an experiment, researchers provided a radiolabeled amino acid to living plant cells. After one hour, the researchers determined the amount of the radiolabeled amino acid that was in each of several subcellular compartments. The results of the experiment are represented in the table. RELATIVE AMOUNTS OF RADIOLABELED AMINO ACID Nucleus Mitochondria Endoplasmic Reticulum Cytosol 2.1 2.7 1.9 1 Which of the following conclusions about the radiolabeled amino acid is best supported by the results of the experiment?
It was mostly incorporated into proteins that regulate and manage metabolic reactions.
Which of the following observations best supports the claim that mitochondria evolved from once-free-living prokaryotic cells by the process of endocytosis?
Mitochondria are surrounded by a double membrane.
Intravenous (IV) therapy is used for fluid replacement in instances of dehydration in humans and other animals. One type of IV fluid is essentially a saltwater solution. To determine the best concentration for therapy in people, a team of students is researching the effects of solutions of different salt concentrations on red blood cells. The following observations were made from three different red blood cell samples viewed under a microscope. The team wants to extend the research project. What should the team of students do next to obtain data that are more conclusive?
Repeat the process with other salt concentrations.
Some membrane proteins help maintain the concentrations of ions inside a cell by transporting the ions across the cell's plasma membrane. Other membrane proteins form pores in the plasma membrane through which the ions can diffuse. A model showing the influence of membrane proteins on the movement of sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) ions across a plasma membrane is presented in Figure 1.
The Na+ concentration inside the cell will increase.
A certain type of specialized cell contains an unusually large amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Which of the following functions is this cell type most likely specialized to perform?
The production and secretion of proteins
A group of mutations, known as MT-ND1, have been identified in mitochondrial DNA. These mutations are associated with a number of debilitating diseases stemming from the production of nonfunctional proteins in the mitochondria. Which of the following cellular deficiencies would most likely be related to these MT-ND1 mutations?
The cell is unable to complete reactions related to electron transport and ATP production.
The valinomycin treatment caused a decrease in the activity of the mitochondria
The data indicate that the valinomycin treatment caused a decrease in the relative rate of ATP production, which likely resulted from impaired mitochondrial function.
A student is using dialysis bags to model the effects of changing solute concentrations on cells. The student places one dialysis bag that contains 25 mL of distilled water into each of two beakers that are filled with 200 mL of distilled water. (Figure 1). The membrane of each dialysis bag membrane contains pores that allow small solutes such as monoatomic ions to pass through but are too small for anything larger to pass. After 30 minutes, 5 mL of a concentrated solution of albumin (a medium-sized, water-soluble protein) is added to one of the two beakers. Nothing is added to the other beaker. After two more hours at room temperature, the mass of each bag is determined. There is no change in the mass of the dialysis bag in the beaker to which no albumin was added. Which of the graphs below best represents the predicted change in mass over time of the dialysis bag in the beaker to which albumin was added?
The graph indicates no change in the mass of the dialysis bag for the first 30 minutes in an isotonic environment, but then it incorrectly shows an increase in mass when the environment became hypertonic with the addition of albumin.
Lysosomes digest food particles brought into a cell by endocytosis. After a vesicle containing food particles fuses with a lysosome, H+ ions are transported into the lysosome from the cytosol. This significantly lowers the pH of the lysosome relative to the cytosol and activates the enzymes that digest the particles. Which of the following best predicts what will happen to the lysosomal enzymes if the proteins that transport H+ ions from the cytosol into the lysosome are damaged?
The lysosomal enzymes will not become active, since there will be no active transport of H+ ions.
Two competing hypotheses exist regarding the cell membrane structure. One hypothesis states that membrane structure is static and membrane components throughout the bilayer are rigidly bound. Alternatively, the other hypothesin? states that cell membranes are a fluid mosaic in which membrane components may drift within the bilayer around the surface of the cell. An experiment is set up in which membrane proteins of two different cells are fluorescently labeled with two different colors and then fused Which of the following results, one hour after membrane fusion, best supports the alternative hypothesis that the cell membrane is a fluid mosaic?
The membrane proteins from each cell have mixed and drifted within the bilayer, which supports the fluid mosaic model of cell membranes. Cell membranes consist of a structural framework of phospholipid molecules that is embedded with proteins and steroids that may flow around the surface of the cell within the bilayer.
Cholesterol is a naturally occurring substance that helps regulate the fluidity of a cell's plasma membrane. A cholesterol molecule can be represented as having a polar head and a nonpolar region, as shown in the figure. Which of the following models shows how cholesterol molecules most likely interact with the phospholipid bilayer of a cell's plasma membrane?
The model correctly shows the polar heads of the cholesterol molecules interacting with the polar heads of the phospholipids. Also, the model correctly shows the nonpolar regions of the cholesterol molecules interacting with the hydrophobic interior of the phospholipid bilayer.
Stomata are pores on the surfaces of the leaves and stems of plants that regulate gas exchange between the plants and the atmosphere. Researchers found that the stomata density on the leaves of a species of plant change as the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere changes. When grown at 350 ppm CO2 the plant has an average density of 300 stomata per mm2, but when grown at 400 ppm CO2 the plant has an average density of 250 stomata per mm2. Which of the following best describes how the ratio of the density of stomata (stomata per mm2) per CO2 concentration (ppm CO2) changes as the CO2 concentration increases?
The ratio decreases from 0.86 to 0.63 , because fewer stomata are needed at higher CO2 concentrations.
Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is a disorder of red blood cells that causes the cells to be smaller and spherical instead of having the usual flattened, biconcave shape. The average diameter of normal red blood cells is 7.2μm, and the average diameter of red blood cells in a person with HS was found to be 6.7μm. The normal red blood cell has an average surface area of 136μm2 and an average volume of 91μm3. Which of the following provides an accurate calculation of the surface area to volume ratio of an HS red blood cell, as well as a prediction of its effect on the efficient transferring of oxygen compared to a normal red blood cell?
The ratio is 0.89 , and the cells are less efficient at transferring oxygen.
A scientist is studying the various prokaryotic and eukaryotic species found floating in a sample of water taken from a marine ecosystem. Which cellular component will be found in the widest range of organisms in the sample?
The ribosome, since all organisms need to synthesize proteins.
Some cells, such as intestinal cells, exchange a lot of material with their surroundings. The surface-to-volume ratio of these cells affects the efficiency of material exchange. Based on the data, which cell is likely to be most effective in the exchange of materials?
The surface area to volume calculation is 6010=6. Of the four cells, this one has the highest ratio of surface area to volume and is likely to be most effective in the exchange of materials.
Which of the following transport mechanisms will be affected most directly by a temporary shortage of ATP molecules inside the cell?
The transport of glucose molecules against a concentration gradient
What additional procedure would best help determine whether movements are due to active transport or to passive transport?
Use two additional treatments, one containing only ethyl alcohol and one containing only acetate. Include a substance known to block ATP use by the plasma membrane. Compare the graphs of these two treatments to the original graph. Active transport requires the availability of ATP. If the nutrients are actively transported, blocking ATP use should reduce the rate of transport along the whole concentration range. If these two graphs are the same as the original graph, the transport is passive. Separation of the nutrients eliminates the possibility that the two transport processes could interfere with each other.
Beetroot cells contain a family of dark red pigments called betalains. The selectively permeable nature of the beetroot cells keeps the internal environment of the cell separate from the external environment of the cell. Researchers are interested in determining whether the selective permeability of beetroot cells is due to the cell membrane or if it is due to the cell wall. Exposure to cellulase is known to damage the structure of the cell wall. An experiment is set up in which beetroot cells are placed in an aqueous solution with cellulase and in one without cellulase. Which of the following results best refutes the alternative hypothesis that selective permeability is a consequence of the cell wall?
When beetroot cells are placed in a solution with cellulase, the solution remains clear. Cellulase digests cellulose and damages the structure of the cell wall, not the cell membrane. The lack of color change in the solution indicates that the betalain is not leaking out of the beetroot cells even though the cell wall has been damaged. This refutes the alternative hypothesis.
Testosterone is a small steroid hormone that is important in cell signaling. Which of the following indicates where testosterone enters a cell and why it is able to cross at that point?
because testosterone is nonpolar and can diffuse through the membrane.
Gaucher disease is an inherited disorder in which cells of the body are unable to break down a particular type of lipid, resulting in a buildup of the lipid in some tissues and organs. Based on the information provided, Gaucher disease results most directly from a defect in the function of which of the following organelles?
the lysosome
