What to gain from Cell bio/Biochem for MCAT?

[Chromium Surfer]

Hi all,

I am currently in cell biology and biochemistry concurrently. What are the most important concepts and facts I should gain from these two classes that will help me the most for the MCAT? I guess I was experiencing some symptoms of burnout at the beginning of the semester and have skated by with 88's in both classes thus far. So now at the halfway point of the semester I am re-energized and ready to be intentional and proactive with my learning in these classes.

Also paging @aldol16 and @theonlytycrane and @Roayer since you guys took the MCAT and seem to have a great grasp on the content required to do well. Thank you!

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[theonlytycrane]

biochemistry: enzyme kinetics (michaelis-menten model) and metabolism (glycolysis, bridge step, kreb's cycle, ETC, anaerobic respiration, gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis, glycogenesis, fatty acid buildup / breakdown, p3, cholesterol biosynthesis)

cell biology: basic cell components, prokaryotic / eukaryotic systems & distinguishing factors of each

 

[Chromium Surfer]

biochemistry: enzyme kinetics (michaelis-menten model) and metabolism (glycolysis, bridge step, kreb's cycle, ETC, anaerobic respiration, gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis, glycogenesis, fatty acid buildup / breakdown, p3, cholesterol biosynthesis)

cell biology: basic cell components, prokaryotic / eukaryotic systems & distinguishing factors of each

Thank you!!

 

[aldol16]

@theonlytycrane has an outstanding list right there. You should know those topics very well. The underlying concept is the central metabolic pathways of life - that is, how you survive. And so it's critical to know and understand the central metabolic pathways, including glycolysis (and the reverse, gluconeogenesis), the TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Those are very high-yield topics.

Though I hate to say that memorization plays any role on the MCAT, you must know the amino acids and their properties. Your biochemistry class will most likely have you memorize them but they will come in useful.

 

[Chromium Surfer]

@theonlytycrane has an outstanding list right there. You should know those topics very well. The underlying concept is the central metabolic pathways of life - that is, how you survive. And so it's critical to know and understand the central metabolic pathways, including glycolysis (and the reverse, gluconeogenesis), the TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation. Those are very high-yield topics.

Though I hate to say that memorization plays any role on the MCAT, you must know the amino acids and their properties. Your biochemistry class will most likely have you memorize them but they will come in useful.

Hey Aldol, thank you for your input!

We are actually learning about the TCA cycle and glycolysis right now in cell biology. As you are aware there are multiple steps in these pathways, so for the MCAT I am expected to know all of these steps cold, or is it more about just understanding the conditions that these pathways occur in as well as the inputs and products?

My ochem class was all free response and a class that emphasized understanding rather than memorization. So for example we would be given a reactant and reagent and then had to write down the intermediate steps with accompanying energy diagrams and explanations. So I am confident in my ability to understand mechanisms, but I just want to know what level of detail and understanding I should have.

Thanks for your time!

 

[alpha-GTP]

biochemistry: enzyme kinetics (michaelis-menten model) and metabolism (glycolysis, bridge step, kreb's cycle, ETC, anaerobic respiration, gluconeogenesis, glycogenolysis, glycogenesis, fatty acid buildup / breakdown, p3, cholesterol biosynthesis)

cell biology: basic cell components, prokaryotic / eukaryotic systems & distinguishing factors of each

To this, cell cycle, basics of normal vs. cancer cell operation, 1 and 3 letter amino acid abbreviations and structures, signal transduction (steroid/lipids and peptide), membrane transport, enzyme kinetics, gene expression, basic functions of organelles, high-yield analytical methods (GE, PCR, chromatography, W and S blot, etc.)

 

[Chromium Surfer]

To this, cell cycle, basics of normal vs. cancer cell operation, 1 and 3 letter amino acid abbreviations and structures, signal transduction (steroid/lipids and peptide), membrane transport, enzyme kinetics, gene expression, basic functions of organelles, high-yield analytical methods (GE, PCR, chromatography, W and S blot, etc.)

Thanks alot alpha! also im learning about GTP in the citric acid cycle right now

 

[aldol16]

Hey Aldol, thank you for your input!

We are actually learning about the TCA cycle and glycolysis right now in cell biology. As you are aware there are multiple steps in these pathways, so for the MCAT I am expected to know all of these steps cold, or is it more about just understanding the conditions that these pathways occur in as well as the inputs and products?

My ochem class was all free response and a class that emphasized understanding rather than memorization. So for example we would be given a reactant and reagent and then had to write down the intermediate steps with accompanying energy diagrams and explanations. So I am confident in my ability to understand mechanisms, but I just want to know what level of detail and understanding I should have.

Thanks for your time!

Okay, so here's what I have to say about this. Take the time to draw out the pathways and try to understand the mechanisms underlying each step. So for the aldolase step, draw the mechanism(s) (it's different for human vs. bacterial enzymes but just understand the general idea) and rationalize to yourself what's happening and, for the important steps, why it's happening. For example, aldolase cleaves a 6-carbon unit into a 3-carbon unit so that you can eventually make pyruvate. And nature only has one or two ways to make C-C bonds - one of the common ones being aldol/retro-aldol and the other common one being Claisen condensation.

It's not so much being able to memorize all the steps and intermediates like some people do but more about understanding the steps and then reasoning from that knowledge. If a pathway is that important, they will likely give it to you in the passage and you just have to figure out what's happening (if it's not one of the key biochemical pathways of life that you will have memorized just from seeing it so much in biochemistry class - e.g. glycolysis).

 

[Chromium Surfer]

Okay, so here's what I have to say about this. Take the time to draw out the pathways and try to understand the mechanisms underlying each step. So for the aldolase step, draw the mechanism(s) (it's different for human vs. bacterial enzymes but just understand the general idea) and rationalize to yourself what's happening and, for the important steps, why it's happening. For example, aldolase cleaves a 6-carbon unit into a 3-carbon unit so that you can eventually make pyruvate. And nature only has one or two ways to make C-C bonds - one of the common ones being aldol/retro-aldol and the other common one being Claisen condensation.

It's not so much being able to memorize all the steps and intermediates like some people do but more about understanding the steps and then reasoning from that knowledge. If a pathway is that important, they will likely give it to you in the passage and you just have to figure out what's happening (if it's not one of the key biochemical pathways of life that you will have memorized just from seeing it so much in biochemistry class - e.g. glycolysis).

That makes a lot of sense, thanks! I was assuming that the passage in the MCAT would give the necessary info and that I would just have to do the analysis. Also I remember learning about adol and claisen reactions in my ochem II class haha. Claisen's give aldols a run for their money sometimes

 

[Roayer]

Biochemistry: Amino acids and everything about them, same with enzyme kinetics, also strong understanding on protein structure (primary secondary etc) and non-enzyme protein function such as the hemoglobin curve. Feedback inhibition and metabolic control are also important as well as glycolysis, Krebs, and ETC, PDH complex and anaerobic metabolism should be the major components for Biochemistry since the DNA stuff is more molecular bio
EDIT: also forgot all the lab stuff like affinity chromatography and all biochemistry lab methods in general are pretty useful for understanding dense experimental passages - looking at western blots and other methods. Elisa etc. Also DNA stuff is pretty predominant but like I said b4 thats more molecular bio.

For Cell: compartmentalize all the cell parts and what composes them and the biochemistry functions each performs and you should be alright. Also prokaryotic vs eukaryotic. Post-translational modification is another biggie.