MCAT content library / Biology & biochemistry
Build from molecules and cells to metabolism, genetics, physiology, and integrated biological systems. This collection contains 69 primary lessons from the completed DDQX MCAT content map.
Use the topic groups for lookup or choose a short study path when you want a sequence.
Browse topic groups
Proteins and enzymes
- Amino acid and peptide charge: count the groups that can change
- Enzyme kinetics: read the curve before naming the inhibitor
- How amino acid properties shape a peptide
- Protein folding, stability, and denaturation
- Choosing and interpreting protein purification methods
- How enzymes catalyze reactions and regulate pathways
- Protein binding and cooperativity
DNA and gene expression
- Nucleotides, base pairing, and DNA stability
- DNA replication, proofreading, and repair
- Transcription and RNA processing
- Translation and the genetic code
- Chromatin and eukaryotic gene regulation
- Bacterial operons and gene regulation
- Cloning and recombinant DNA
- Reading PCR, sequencing, and DNA blot results
- Measuring gene expression and testing gene function
Inheritance and evolution
- Mendelian inheritance and genetic probability
- Meiosis and genetic recombination
- Pedigrees and inheritance beyond a simple dominant model
- Genetic linkage and mapping
- Mutations and their functional consequences
- Population genetics and Hardy–Weinberg reasoning
- Evolution, selection, and speciation
Metabolism and energy
- Biological energy, ATP, and coupled reactions
- Carbohydrate structures and glycosidic bonds
- Glycolysis and fermentation
- Making and storing glucose
- The pentose phosphate pathway and reducing power
- Pyruvate oxidation and the citric acid cycle
- Electron transport and ATP synthesis
- Fatty acid metabolism and ketone bodies
- Amino acid metabolism and nitrogen handling
- Fuel use in fed, fasting, and exercise states
Cells and membranes
- Lipids and membrane properties
- Membrane transport and osmosis
- Organelles and protein trafficking
- The cytoskeleton and cell movement
- Cell junctions and tissue organization
Microbes and viruses
- Prokaryotic cells and growth
- Bacterial gene transfer and antibiotic resistance
- Viral structure and replication
Cell division and development
- Cell-cycle checkpoints and cancer
- Gametogenesis and fertilization
- Early embryonic development
- Cell fate, stem cells, and differentiation
Nervous and endocrine control
- Neuron structure and signal flow
- Resting membrane potential
- Action potentials and conduction
- Synaptic transmission and summation
- Nervous-system organization and reflex pathways
- Autonomic control of organs
- Hormone signals and cellular receptors
- Endocrine feedback and hormone axes
Organ systems and homeostasis
- Breathing mechanics and alveolar gas exchange
- The cardiac cycle and circulation
- Blood-gas transport and pH control
- Capillary exchange and lymph flow
- Blood cells and clotting
- Innate and adaptive immunity
- Antibodies and antigen presentation
- Digestion and nutrient absorption
- Kidney filtration and solute handling
- Urine concentration and water balance
- Reproductive hormone cycles
- Pregnancy, birth, and lactation
- Muscle contraction and calcium
- Muscle types, force, and energy use
- Bone, joints, and calcium balance
- Skin and temperature regulation
Study paths that use this section
From amino acids to protein experiments
Use molecular properties to interpret protein behavior and purification evidence.
From a rate curve to a mechanism
Connect the existing kinetics lesson to regulation, valid comparisons, and normalized results.
From a gene to a functional result
Trace information flow and interpret an experiment that changes gene expression.
From fuel to ATP
Track energy and reducing equivalents from carbohydrates to oxidative phosphorylation.
From a membrane to a neural signal
Connect membrane properties and gradients to signal propagation and synaptic integration.
Connect the ideas
After reviewing a lesson, change one condition in its worked application and predict the result before reopening the feedback. For study design, graphs, uncertainty, and multi-figure reasoning, use Research & Data.