Cell Biology Preceptor Interview sample

1. Which model organism has a well-mapped nervous system and is commonly used to study programmed cell death?

• 1. Escherichia coli.

• 1. Arabidopsis thaliana.

• Caenorhabditis elegans.

• Drosophila melanogaster.

Cholesterol's role in membrane fluidity involves?

• Converting saturated fatty acids into unsaturated fatty acids.

• Only decreasing membrane fluidity under all conditions.

• Eliminating Van der Waals interactions between fatty acid tails.

• Acting as a buffer to maintain appropriate fluidity under varying temperatures.

• Increasing membrane fluidity by introducing double bonds in fatty acid tails.

The presence of double bonds in fatty acid tails affects membrane fluidity by?

• Enhancing Van der Waals interactions between tails.
  

• Converting unsaturated fats to saturated fats.

• Allowing tighter packing of phospholipids.

• Introducing kinks that prevent tight packing, increasing fluidity.

• Decreasing the membrane's permeability to small molecules.

Tight junction proteins play a crucial role in?

• Allowing free movement of proteins between the apical and basal sides of a cell.

• Anchoring membrane proteins to the cell cortex.

• Preventing substances from slipping between cells

• Facilitating the flip-flop of phospholipids between membrane leaflets.

The asymmetry of the phospholipid bilayer refers to?

• The varying thickness of the membrane at different points.

• The difference in lipid and protein composition between the two layers of the bilayer.

  
  

• The random distribution of glycolipids across both layers.

• The presence of cholesterol only on the cytosolic side of the membrane.

• The unequal distribution of phospholipids with saturated and unsaturated fatty acid tails.

1. Actin filaments are critical for which of the following processes during cell division?

• Forming the contractile ring during cytokinesis

• Separating chromatids in anaphase

• Organizing the mitotic spindle

• Building centrosomes

• Anchoring vesicles within the cell

Tags

NGSS.HS-LS1-4

1. Which cytoskeletal component primarily functions as a “highway” for vesicle transport within cells?

• Actin filaments

• Myosin fibers

• Intermediate filaments

• Nuclear lamins

• Microtubules

Flippase is an enzyme that facilitates what?

• The flip-flop movement of phospholipids between bilayer leaflets.

• The lateral movement of phospholipids within a membrane layer.

• The rotation of phospholipids around their axis.

• The formation of double bonds in fatty acid tails.

• The degradation of saturated fatty acids.