AP Biology: Cell Cycle, Meiosis, Cell Communication Study Guide
Cell Cycle
1. Compare and contrast the role of cell division in unicellular and multicellular organisms.
2. You must know this vocab so define the following terms:
a. Chromosomes
b. Somatic cells
c. Gametes
d. Chromatin
e. Sister chromatids
f. Centromere
g. Mitosis
h. Cytokinesis
i. Meiosis
j. Mitotic spindle
k. Centrosome
l. Kinetochore
3. What happens in each phase of the cell cycle below?
a. Mitotic phase
b. Interphase
c. G1 phase
d. G2 phase
e. S phase
4. How is cytokinesis different in plant vs.animal cells?
5. Identify the phases of cell division: (label the structures seen in the phases)
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6. Why would a cell no longer divide?
7. How is Binary Fission different from mitosis?
8. Label the diagram below:
9. Discuss the hypothetical evolution of mitosis.
10. How is the cell cycle controlled?
11. What is a cyclin and what does it activate?
12. What are Cdk’s?
13. What does MPF stand for and what does it promote?
14. What is cancer?
15. How do the following terms relate to cancer?
a. Transformation
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b. Benign tumor
c. Malignant tumor
d. Metastasis
Meiosis
1. Compare and contrast asexual and sexual reproduction.
2. Define the following terms:
a. Life cycle
b. Karyotype
c. Homologous chromosomes
d. Sex chromosomes
e. Autosomes
f. Diploid cell
g. Haploid cell
h. Fertilization
i. Zygote
j. meiosis
3. Describe the three different types of life cycle?
4. What are the two broad goals of meiosis?
5. How does the chromosome number change during the process of meiosis?
6. Label the following diagrams of meiosis.
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7. Compare and contrast mitosis and meiosis.
8. Describe in detail the three sources of genetic variation in meiosis?
Cell Communication Study Guide
1. What is a signal transduction pathway? Give an example
2. How does yeast mating serve as an example of a signal transduction pathway?
3. How do intercellular connections function in cell to cell communication?
4. Explain the difference between paracrine and synaptic signaling.
5. How are long distance signals sent? Give an example in the body
6. How do nerve cells provide example of both local and long distance signaling?
7. A signal transduction pathway has three stages. Use Figure 11.6 to label the missing parts of the
preview figure below, and then explain each step.
Receptor:
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Transduction:
Response:
8. Explain the term ligand. Give an example of how a ligand is used.
9. Fill-in the chart below regarding the 3 types of membrane receptors:
Receptor
How it functions as a receptor
Example
G-Protein
Tyrosine
Kinase
Ion
Channel
10. What does conformation mean?
11. In what body system are ligand-gated ion channels and voltage-gated ion channels of particular
importance?
12. How are intracellular receptors unique? Give an example.
13. Where would you expect most water soluble messengers to bind and why?
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14. How are phosphorylation cascades similar to a row of dominoes falling down?
15. Explain the role of these enzymes in transduction:
a. protein kinase
b. protein phosphatases
16. What is the difference between a first messenger and a second messenger?
17. Explain the role of the second messenger cAMP.
18. When cell signaling causes a response in the nucleus, what normally happens?
19. When cell signaling causes a response in the cytoplasm, what normally happens?
20. How does the disease cholera connect with the concepts of cell to cell communication?
21. Explain how very little epinephrine can have a rapid response in the body.
22. How is signal amplification accomplished in the cell?
23. How is specificity accomplished in cell signaling?
24. What is a scaffolding protein and why is it important?
25. How is termination of a signal accomplished and why is it so important that termination be
accomplished?
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