8 control of gene expression Flashcards
ripping my eyes out
what does each mutation do:
. substitution
. deletion
. addition
. duplication
. inversion
. translocation
. sub- swapped
. del- removed (frame shift)
. add - added (frame shift)
. dupli - repeats (frame shift)
. inv - reversed
. trans - removed to same or another chromasome
why might base mutations not effect tertiary structure of proteins
. genetic code is degenerate
. mutation is in an intron
. occurs in recessive allele
how might mutations effect tertiary structure
. changes amino acid sequence
. may affect h, ionic or disulfide bonds between r groups
. can change shape of active site to change
. no longer able to form es complexes
what are stem cells
. unspecialised cells that continually divide that can differentiate into other types of cells
. found in embryos - form foetus
. some adult tissues - bone marrow
what are the different types of stem cells and where are they found
. totipotent - develop into any body cell, present in mammals in first few divisions of embryo
. pluripotent - can specialise into anything BUT placenta, from 4-5 day old embryos, used to treat human disorders
. multipotent - present in adult mammals, can differentiate into few cells
. unipotent - can only differentiate into one type of cell, cannot regenerate
why do stem cells become specialised
. different genes are expressed
. mRNA only transcribed from specific genes
. this mRNA tranlsted into proteins
. proteins modify the cell and cause cell to specialise, irreversible
how are induced pluripotent cells made and what are they used for
. used in medicine and research
. take somatic adult specialised cells and infect them with modified virus with gene coding ofr transcription factors so cells become pluripotent
. transcription factors attach to promoter regions of dna and stimulate RNA polymerase to stimulate transcription
what are the disadvantages of using somatic cells
. gathered from adults
. found in bone marrow
. very uncomfortable to obtain
. multipotent not pluripotent
what are the pros and cons of stem cells in research
. pro - can be used to grow organs to save lives or replace tissues
. cons - obtaining embryonic stem cells requiers the destruction of an embryo
how do transcription factors work
. move from the cytoplasm to the nucleus
. bind to specific DNA sites nesr start of target gened
. activators - increase rate of transcription, help mRNA polymerse to bind to target gene
. repressors - decrease rate of transcription, can prevent mRNA polymerase from binding to target gene
how does oestrogen initiate transcription
. oest is small and hydrophobic, diffues through phospholipid bilayer into cells
. binds to transcription factor oest recep alpha oestrogen receptor in cyto which is held in protein complex, changes the shape and releases er ALPHA
. the er ALPHA oest receptor can now enter nucleus and bind to promoter region of one target gene, stimulating RNA polymerase to transcribe target gene
how does RNA interference inhibit the translation of mRNA
. small interfering RMA is a double stranded rna found in cyto
. associates with proteins and unwinds to single strands
. strand binds to target mRNA by comp b pairing
. proteins associated with siRNA cut mRNA into pieces so doesnt translate, fragments move to body and are degrqaded
what does mirna do in mammals
. microRNA
. is not fully complimentary to target mrna so may target multiple molecules
. associates with the protein and binds to target mrna in cyto
. miRNA protein complex blocks translation od target mrna
. mRNA moved to a processing body to be stored or degraded
what is epigenetics
. heritable changes in gene function without the base sequence of dna changing
how does epigenetics control gene expression in eukaryotes
. in eukaryote, dna associated with histone
. if dna tightly wound, genes arent transcribed
. chemicals may attach to histones/dna to affect winding and thus transcription
. no changes in base sequence of dna
. epigentic changes can be inherited
how can changes in environment inhibit transcription
. hyper-methylation (increased) of dna - caused by diet, stress, smoking, food availability
. can cause growth of tumours by supressing tumour suppressor resulting in uncontrollable cell division
. methyl group attaches to dna, if promotor region slightly methylated, transcription factor cannot bind, so RNA polymerase not stimulated and transcription doesnt occur
what happens if acetylation decreases
. acetyl groups being removed causes chromatin to condense so can be transcribed and dna uncoils
what does histone deacetylase do
. catalyses the removal of acetyl from histones leading to increased transcription, can be used to reduce epigenetic factors
why are epigenetic changes good targets for drugs
. epigenetic changes are reversible
. drugs can be developed to reduce highly methylated tumour suppressor genes
what is a tumour
. a mass of abnormal cells caused by uncontrollable cell division