6.1.2 Gene control

Question 1

What does the nucleus of every cell in the human body contain?

Answer 1

The same genes

Question 2

Are all the genes in the human body expressed in every cell/at the same time?

Answer 2

No

Question 3

What are the mechaisms that exist within cells to make sure the correct genes are expressed in the correct cell at the correct time?

Answer 3

Regulatory mechanisms

Question 4

What are regulatory mechanisms?

Answer 4

They control which genes are expressed at different points in time (e.g. during development

Question 5

What are the three main types of regulatory mechanisms?

Answer 5

• Regulation at the transcriptional level
• Regulation at the post-transcriptional level
• Regulation at the post-translational level

Question 6

What are the regulatory mechanisms controlled by?

Answer 6

By many different regulatory genes

Question 7

What is a structural gene

Answer 7

A structural gene codes for a protein that has a function within a cell (e.g. enzymes, membrane carriers, hormones etc)

Question 8

What are regulatory genes?

Answer 8

Regulatory genes code for proteins that control the expression of structural genes