CELL BIOLOGY EXAM 2

Posted October 17 2007

Exam is due on December 1, 2007

Each answer should consist of at least five pages of double space typescript. You need to show evidence of having researched the topic and you should give references to the papers that you have used. Diagrams are often helpful.

There are three essay questions:

1. In many cells, the plasma membrane does not appear to have discrete areas to which proteins are targeted but in epithelial cells the plasma membrane is divided into basolateral and apical regions. The proteins that are targeted to these regions are very different. How does a basolateral protein go to the basolateral surface and how does an apical protein go to its correct location?

Useful reviews:

Protein sorting in the Golgi complex: shifting paradigms. Rodriguez-Boulan E, Müsch A.  Biochim Biophys Acta. 2005 Jul 10;1744(3):455-64

Epithelial trafficking: new routes to familiar places. Rodriguez-Boulan E, Müsch A, Le Bivic A.  Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2004 Aug;16(4):436-42.

2. Mitochondria are autonomous organelles - Discuss

3. Compare and contrast microtubule, microfilaments and intermediate filaments. What are their functions within the cell?

You may send your answers as an attachment to an e-mail (either .doc or .pdf) to rhunt@gw.med.sc.edu. Please put your name on the top of each page as a header and start your answer to each question on a separate page or submit separate files for each question