GRE Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology (REA) - The Best Test Prep »

Prepare the right way for the GRE Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Test. Our exam experts will show you how to master the test and score higher. This completely revised and updated test prep contains 2 practice exams carefully derived from the latest GRE tests. Test questions are fully answered and thoroughly explained in easy-to-understand, step-by-step detail. The book's comprehensive review targets all topics appearing on the actual test including supramolecular complexes, metabolic pathways, genomics, and more. Follow up your study with REA's proven strategies and test-taking techniques.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Chemical Bonds and Energy Conservation 

Thermodynamics and Energy Conservation 

Potential Energy Curve 

Redox States

Water, pH, Acid-Base Reactions, and Buffers 

Structure of Water 

Acid-Base Reactions 

Concept of Acids and Bases in Relationship to pH 

Buffers 

Biomolecular Structures 

Amino Acids and Proteins 

Structure of Proteins 

Primary Structure 

Secondary Structure 

a-Helix 

ß-Pleated sheets 

ß-Turns 

Tertiary Structure 

Quaternary Structure 

Chemical and Enzymatic Reaction Mechanisms 

Chemical Reaction Mechanisms 

PART 1: BIOCHEMISTRY

Contents

Introduction 

About This Book

About REA's Test Experts

About the Test

Format of the GRE Biochemistry, Cell and Molecular Biology Test

Scoring the Test 

Score Conversion Chart 

Test-Taking Strategies 

The Day of the Test

During the Test

Study Schedule 

First-Order Reactions 

Second-Order Reactions 

Some Factors That Influence Reaction Rates 

Enzymatic Reaction Mechanisms 

How Does an Enzyme Help Lower the Energy/Heat of Activation of a Reaction 

Proximity and Orientation 

Covalent Catalysis 

Strain and Distortion 

Acid-Base Catalysis 

Selected List of Coenzymes and Their Roles in Catalysis 

Classification of Enzymes by the Types of Reactions They Catalyze 

Oxidoreductases 

Transferases 

Hydrolases 

Lyases 

Isomerases 

Ligases 

Enzyme Kinetics 

Practical Aspect of Initial Velocity Measurement 

Lineweaver-Burk Plots 

Diagnostic Value of Lineweaver-Burk Plots: Enzyme Inhibition 

Classification of the Types of Enzyme Inhibitors 

Mechanism-Based Inhibitors 

Two-Substrate Reactions 

Sequential Reactions May Be Either Random or Ordered

Ping-Pong or Double-Displacement Reactions 

Antibodies as Catalysts 

Regulation of Enzymatic Activity 

Summary of Regulatory Mechanisms 

Kinetic Models for Allosteric Regulation 

Kinetic Description of Allosteric Interactions: The Concerted Model 

Significance of the Hill Coefficient 

Metabolism 

Forms of Conserved Energy in Metabolism 

Glycolysis 

Reaction That Commits Glucose Metabolism to Glycolysis 

Aldolase Catalyzes the Production of Two -Carbon

Compounds from Fru ,-P 

Triose Phosphate Isomerase 

Glyceraldehyde -Phosphate Dehydrogenase (GAPDH) Reaction 

Phosphoglycerate Kinase Reaction 

Phosphoglycerate Mutase Reaction 

Enolase Catalyzes the Second “High-Energy” Compound in Glycolysis 

Pyruvate Kinase Generates the Second ATP Molecule in Glycolysis 

Summary of Glycolysis 

Pyruvate Metabolism: Formation of Acetylcoenzyme A 

The Tricarboxyclic Acid Cycle (TCA Cycle) 

Regulation of the TCA cycle 

Anaplerotic Reactions for the TCA Cycle 

Oxidative Phosphorylation 

Pentose Phosphate Pathway 

Oxidative Phase of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway 

Nonoxidative Phase of the Pentose Phosphate Pathway 

Glucuronic Acid Oxidative Pathway 

Gluconeogenesis and Glycogenesis 

Summary of Entry Points in the TCA Cycle

and Glycolysis That Can Lead to Gluconeogenesis 

Glycogen Metabolism 

Glycogenesis 

Glycogenolysis 

Regulation of Glycogen Metabolism 

Photosynthesis 

Photochemical Consideration of Light Absorption and Energy Generation 

Light Independent Reactions of Photosynthesis: The Calvin Cycle 

Adaptive Photosynthetic Mechanisms 

Nitrogen Metabolism 

Nitrogen Fixation 

Chemical Reactions of Pyridoxyl Phosphate Relative to Amino Acid Metabolism 

Biosynthesis of Amino Acids 

Amino Acids Derived from Oxaloacetate/Aspartate 

Amino Acids Derived from -Phosphoglycerate 

Cysteine 

Serine 

Glycine 

Amino Acids Derived from Pyruvate

Amino Acids Derived from a-Ketoglutarate 

Amino Acids Derived from Phosphoenolpyruvate and Erythrose--phosphate 

Histidine 

Degradation of Amino Acids 

Methionine 

The Urea Cycle 

Nucleotide Structure and Metabolism 

Synthesis of Purines 

Summary of Key Points About Purine Biosynthesis 

Degradation of Purines 

Synthesis of Pyrimidines 

Synthesis of Deoxyribonucleotides 

Regulation of Ribonucleotide Reductase Activity 

Thymine Biosynthesis 

Degradation of Pyrimidines 

Heme Metabolism 

Heme and Chlorophyll Biosynthesis 

Heme and Chlorophyll Degradation 

Lipid Metabolism 

Fatty Acid Biosynthesis 

Elongation of Palmitic Acid 

Formation of Unsaturated Fatty Acids 

Nomenclature and Other Positions Where Desaturases Function 

Arachiodonic Acid and Signaling/Regulatory Molecules 

Cholesterol and Steroid Hormones Are Derived from Acetate 

Fatty Acids Are Stored as Triglycerides 

Sphingolipids 

Fatty Acid Oxidation 

Special Cases to Consider for b-Oxidation of Fatty Acids 

Methods 

Methods for Cell Disruption 

Mechanical Methods 

Nonmechanical Methods of Cell Disruption 

Separation of Cellular Components by Centrifugation 

Centrifugal Force Required to Pellet Selected Cellular Components 

Purification of Soluble Proteins

Chromatography 

Ion Exchange Chromatography 

Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography 

Gel Filtration Chromatography 

Affinity Chromatography 

High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) 

Isotopes Used to Study Biological Systems 

Radioactive Isotopes 

Stable Isotopes 

Relationship of Solute Concentration to Its Absorbance of Light 

Absorbance of Light and the Lambert-Beer Law 

Sample Analyses by Electrophoresis 

Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis (PAGE) 

Two-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis 

Determination of Molecular Mass Using SDS Denaturing Gels 

Western Blot Analysis

Cellular Compartments of Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes 

Organization, Dynamics, and Functions 

Microscopy 

General Introduction to Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes 

Prokaryotes 

Eukaryotes 

Cell Death 

Apoptosis 

Necrosis 

Cellular Membrane Systems (Structure and Transport) 

Prokaryotic Cells, Plasma Membrane, and Cell Wall 

Eukaryotic Plasma Membranes and Cell Walls 

Membrane Biogenesis 

Membrane Transport 

Inactive Transport 

Active Transport 

Exo- and Endocytosis 

PART 2:  CELL BIOLOGY

Nucleus (Envelope and Matrix) and Chromosomes 

Prokaryotic Cells—Chromosome 

Eukaryotic Cells—Chromosomes and Nucleus 

Other Intracellular Structures, Including Mitochondria and Chloroplasts 

Prokaryotes 

Eukaryotes 

Specialized Structures and Other Characteristics 

Cell Dynamics 

Cell Surface and Cell Communication 

Extracellular Matrix 

The Extracellular Matrix of Connective Tissue 

Connective Tissue 

The Proteins of Connective Tissue 

The Extracellular Matrix of Endothelial Tissue 

Cell–Cell Interaction 

Binding of Cells to the Extracellular Matrix 

Communication between Extracellular Matrix and Cytoskeleton 

Cell Adhesion and Junctions: Cell–Cell Communication 

Signal Transduction and Receptor Function 

Cell Membrane Receptors 

Second Messenger Systems 

The cAMP Pathway 

The Phosphatidylinositol Pathway 

G-Protein-Associated Ion Channels 

Receptors That Are Enzymes 

Steroid and Thyroid Hormones 

Excitable Membrane Systems 

Cytoskeleton, Motility, and Shape

Actin Filaments 

Actin in Muscle Contraction 

Microtubules 

Intermediate Filaments 

Organization of the Cytoskeleton 

Cell Surface Structures of Prokaryotes 

Protein Synthesis and Processing 

Cell Division, Differentiation, and Development 

Bacterial Cell Division 

Eukaryotic Cell Cycle 

Mitosis and Cytokinesis 

Cytokinesis 

Growth Factors 

Meiosis and Gametogenesis 

Fertilization and Early Embryonic Development 

Fertilization 

Embryogenesis 

Early Mammalian Development 

From Gastrula to Fully Developed Organism 

Positional Information 

Nuclear/Cytoplasmic Interactions 

Tissue-Specific Expression 

PART 3:  MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Mendelian and Non-Mendelian Inheritance 

Punnett Square Diagrams 

Transformation, Transduction, and Conjugation 

Recombination and Complementation 

Mutational Analysis 

Genetic Mapping and Linkage Analysis 

Chromatin and Chromosomes 

Karyotypes 

Translocations, Inversions, Deletions, and Duplications 

Aneuploidy and Polyploidy 

Structure 

Genomics 

Genome Structure 

Repeated DNA and Gene Families 

Centromeres and Telomeres 

Gene Identifi cation 

Transposable Elements 

Gene Maintenance 

DNA Replication 

The Challenges of DNA Replication 

DNA Damage and Repair

DNA Modifi cation 

DNA Recombination and Gene Conversion 

Branch Migration 

Gene Conversion 

The Genetic Code 

Transcription 

Gene Regulation in Prokaryotes 

Positive and Negative Control of the Operon 

Gene Regulation in Eukaryotes 

Cis- and Trans-Acting Regulatory Elements 

Gene Rearrangements and Amplifi cation 

Bacteriophages and Animal and Plant Viruses 

Genome Replication and Regulation 

Virus-Host Interactions 

Methodology 

Restriction Maps 

DNA Cloning in Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes 

Other Uses of Restriction Endonucleases 

Nucleic Acid Blotting and Hybridization 

PCR 

Sequencing and Analysis 

Protein-Nucleic Acid Interaction 

Site-Directed Mutagenesis 

Answer to Mapping Problem 

Practice Exams 

Answer Sheet: Practice Exam  

Practice Exam  

Answer Key 

Detailed Explanations of Answers 

Answer Sheet: Practice Exam  

Practice Exam  

Answer Key 

Detailed Explanations of Answers 

Index