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Zoology Semester 1 > APS138 Cell And Molecular Biology - Scholes > Flashcards

APS138 Cell And Molecular Biology - Scholes Flashcards

1
Q

How many chromosomes do humans have?

A

46 (23 pairs)

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2
Q

What is unique about nucleic acids?

A

They can direct their own replication

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3
Q

When was the chemical composition of DNA discovered?

A

Late 1800s.
Friedrich Miescher isolated DNA in 1874
In 1881 Albrecht Kossel isolated the nucleotide bases
Actual structure worked out in 1953

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4
Q

Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray crystallographic images of DNA enabled Watson to deduce…

A
  • That DNA was helical
  • The width of the helix
  • The spacing of the nitrogenous bases
  • Double helix made of 2 strands
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5
Q

DNA is a polymer of nucleotides, each consisting of:

A
  • A nitrogenous base (A,T,C or G)
  • A phosphate group
  • A deoxyribose sugar
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6
Q

What does 5’ refer to?

A

The specific carbon of the sugar molecule which the P group is attached to

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7
Q

What does 3’ refer to?

A

The carbon in the sugar molecule with the -OH group

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8
Q

What are the purines? How many organic rings do they have?

A

Adenine and Guanine.

2 rings

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9
Q

What are the pyramidines? How many organic rings do they have?

A

Cytosine and Thymine (and Uracil). 1 single ring.

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10
Q

How many hydrogen bonds does A pair to T with?

C to G?

A

2 bonds A to T, 3 bonds C to G

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11
Q

What direction do the 2 DNA strands run in?

A

An antiparallel direction

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12
Q

What are the base pairs on the 2 DNA strands?

A

complementary

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13
Q

Each ‘daughter’ DNA molecule consists of one …… strand and one …… strand

A

Parental, New

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14
Q

What is the model of DNA replication?

A

Semi-conservative

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15
Q

Each nucleotide that is added to a growing strand of DNA is a…

A

Nucleoside triphosphate (e.g. dATP, dTTP etc.)

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16
Q

DNA polymerases add nucleotides only to he free …. end of a growing strand. Therefore a new DNA strand can only elongate in the ….. direction.

A

3’

5’ to 3’

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17
Q

How long can E. coli’s 4.6 million nucleotide pair genome take to be replicated?

A

~1 hour

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18
Q

In eukaryotes each double helical DNA molecule is packages into a…

A

Chromosome within the nucleus

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19
Q

DNA replication begins at sites called…

A

Origins of replication

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20
Q

How many origins of replication are there in the circular of E. coli?

A

Only 1

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21
Q

What is an origin of replication?

A

A short stretch of DNA with a particular sequence of bases. Parental strands separate at the origin forming a replication bubble with a fork at each end.

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22
Q

What types of enzymes catalyse the synthesis of new DNA at a replication fork?

A

DNA polymerases

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23
Q

Which proteins participate in the unwinding of parental DNA strands?

A

Topoisomerases (correct overwinding), helicases (untwist double helix), single strand binding proteins (stabilise single stranded DNA)

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24
Q

What is the initial nucleotide strand in DNA replication called?

A

An RNA primer

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25
Q

What does the enzyme primase do?

A

Starts an RNA chain from scratch, adding RNA nucleotides one at a times using the parental DNA template.

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26
Q

To elongate the new strand, called the …… strand, DNA polymerase must work in the direction ….. the replication fork

A

Lagging

Away from

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27
Q

The lagging strand is synthesised as a series of fragments called….

A

Okazaki fragments

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28
Q

What does DNA pol I do?

A

Replaces RNA primer with DNA nucleotides

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29
Q

Which enzyme joins together the Okazaki fragments?

A

DNA ligase

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30
Q

What are telomeres?

A

DNA at the end of eukaryotic DNA molecules, consisting of multiple repetitions of one short nucleotide sequence. Prevents the shortening of DNA molecules and postpones he erosion of genes near the ends of DNA molecules

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31
Q

What has it been proposed that the shortening of telomeres is connected to?

A

Ageing - telomeric DNA tends to be shorter in dividing somatic cells of older individuals

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32
Q

Which enzyme catalyses the lengthening of telomeres in germ cells?

A

Telomerase

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33
Q

What is the region of a bacterial cell in which “supercoiled” DNA is found?

A

Nucleoid

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34
Q

What proteins are responsible for the first level of packing in chromatin?

A

Histones

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35
Q

The nucleosome consists of DNA wound twice around a protein core composed of …..

A

2 molecules of each of the 4 main histone types

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36
Q

What do the histone tails of one nucleosome interact with?

A

The linker DNA and nucleosomes on either side. A fifth histone is involved

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37
Q

What is gene expression? How many stages are there?

A

The process by which DNA directs protein synthesis. There are 2 stages: transcription and translation

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38
Q

What does transcription produce?

A

messenger RNA (mRNA)

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39
Q

What is translation?

A

The production of a polypeptide using information in mRNA

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40
Q

Where does translation occur?

A

At ribosomes

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41
Q

What is the sugar found in RNA?

A

ribose

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42
Q

What is Thymine replaced by in RNA?

A

Uracil

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43
Q

How many strands does RNA usually have?

A

One

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44
Q

What does the fact that prokaryotes lack nuclei mean for transcription and translation?

A

They can occur simultaneously (translation of mRNA can begin before transcription has finished) - ribosomes attach to the leading strand of an mRNA molecule while transcription is still in progress

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45
Q

What does the transcription of a protein coding gene result in in eukaryotes?

A

pre-mRNA

Modified through processing to yield finished mRNA

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46
Q

What is the central dogma?

A

Single directional flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein

47
Q

How many amino acids are there in humans?

A

20

48
Q

What is a triplet of nucleotide bases called?

A

A codon

49
Q

How many possible codons are there with the triplet code?

A

64 (4^3)

50
Q

In which direction are mRNA codons always read in?

A

5’ to 3’ direction

51
Q

What does each codon code for?

A

An amino acid, to be placed at the corresponding position along a polypeptide

52
Q

Of the 64 triplets how many code for amino acids and how many are stop codons?

A

61 amino acids, 3 stop codons

53
Q

How many types of RNA polymerase do bacteria have to synthesise RNA molecules?

A

One

54
Q

How many RNA polymerases do eukaryotes have?

A

Three

55
Q

Which eukaryotic RNA polymerase is used for mRNA synthesis?

A

RNA polymerase II

56
Q

What 3 stages can transcription be separated into?

A

Initiation, Elongation, Termination of the RNA chain

57
Q

In transcription of RNA, what is the initiation stage?

A

After RNA polymerase binds to the promoter, the DNA strands unwind and the polymerase initiates RNA synthesis at the start point on the template strand

58
Q

In transcription of RNA, what is the elongation stage?

A

The polymerase moves downstream, unwinding the DNA and elongating the RNA transcript in the 5’ to 3’ direction. In the wake, the DNA double helix reforms

59
Q

In transcription of RNA, what is the termination stage?

A

Eventually the RNA transcript is released and the polymerase detaches from the DNA

60
Q

What signal the transcriptional start point and usually extend several dozen nucleotide pairs upstream of the start point?

A

Promoters

61
Q

What recognises and binds to the promoter in bacteria?

A

RNA polymerase itself

62
Q

In eukaryotes, what mediate the binding of RNA polymerase and the initiation of transcription?

A

Transcription factors

63
Q

what is the key promoter sequence in eukaryotes called?

A

TATA box - a transcription factor recognising this box must bind to the DNA before RNA polymerase can do so

64
Q

What is the complex of the RNA polymerase II and transcription factors called?

A

Transcription initiation complex

65
Q

What is the rate of transcription in eukaryotes?

A

40 nucleotides per second

66
Q

What is the mechanism of RNA transcription termination in bacteria?

A

The polymerase stops translation at the end of a specific RNA sequence known as the terminator and the mRNA can be translated without further modification

67
Q

What is the mechanism of RNA transcription termination in eukaryotes?

A

RNA polymerase II transcribes polyadenylation signal sequence (AAUAAA) in pre-mRNA, and at a point about 10 to 35 nucleotides past this sequence the RNA transcript is cut from the polymerase, releasing the pre-mRNA, which then undergoes processing

68
Q

How are the ends of pre-mRNA modified in eukaryotes? What benefits do these modification bring?

A

5’ end receives modified nucleotide 5’ cap
3’ end gets a poly-A tail

  • Facilitate export of mRNA to cytoplasm
  • Protect from hydrolytic enzymes
  • Help ribosomes attach to 5’ end
69
Q

What are UTRs?

A

Untranslated regions

70
Q

What is RNA splicing?

A

When non-coding regions of pre-mRNA called introns are cut out and exons are joined to create an mRNA molecule with a continuous coding sequence

71
Q

In some cases, what is RNA splicing carried out by?

A

Spliceosomes

72
Q

What do spliceosomes consist of?

A

Small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs) and other proteins - snRNA base pairs with nucleotides at specific sites along the intron, cuts and releases it for degradation and splices the exons together

73
Q

Do introns have any function?

A

Some introns contain sequences that may regulate gene expression. Some gens can encode more than one kind of polypeptide, depending on which segments are treated as exons during splicing - called alternative RNA splicing - number of different proteins an organism can produce is much greater than its number of genes

74
Q

What does each tRNA molecule carry?

A

An amino acid

75
Q

What does a tRNA molecule consist of?

A

A single strand of about 80 nucleotides folded back on itself - includes a loop containing the anticodon and an attachment site at the 3’ end for an amino acid

76
Q

What shape is tRNA (roughly)?

A

L-shaped

77
Q

Can tRNA molecules be used repeatedly?

A

Yes

78
Q

Where do tRNA molecules pick up and deposit their amino acids?

A

Pick up in the cytosol, deposit at the ribosome

79
Q

What are the two recognition steps that accurate translation requires?

A

A correct match between the tRNA and an amino acid, and a correct match between the tRNA and mRNA codon

80
Q

Which enzyme joins amino acids to tRNA molecules?

A

aminoacetyl-tRNA synthase - 20 different varieties that match the 20 amino acids - catalyses a covalent bond between them in a process driven by ATP hydrolysis

81
Q

What is the flexible base pairing of tRNA and mRNA anticodons called?

A

Wobble

82
Q

What does a ribosome consist of?

A

A large and small subunit, each made up of proteins and ribosomal RNA (rRNA) - the most abundant type of cellular rRNA

83
Q

What are the 3 binding sites in ribosomes for tRNA?

A

P site - holds tRNA that carries the growing polypeptide chain
A site - holds next tRNA that carries the next amino acid to be added to the chain
E site - the exit site, where discharged tRNAs leave the ribosome

84
Q

What are the 3 stages of translation?

A

Initiation, elongation, termination

85
Q

What does the initiator tRNA carry?

A

Methionine (binds to start codon)

86
Q

What is the start codon?

A

AUG

87
Q

What molecule is invested to provide energy for the formation of the translation initiation complex?

A

GTP

88
Q

Whereabouts on the polypeptide chain are amino acids added during elongation (translation)? What proteins are required?

A

C-terminus

Elongation factors

89
Q

What are the 3 stages of elongation during translation?

A
  1. Codon recognition
  2. Peptide bond formation
  3. Translocation
90
Q

During translation, when does termination occur?

A

When one of the stop codons reaches the A site of the ribosome - a release factor binds to the stop codon and causes hydrolysis of the bond between the polypeptide and its tRNA in the P site

91
Q

Where is the polypeptide released from after translation

A

Ribosome exit tunnel

92
Q

What does breakdown of the translation assembly require?

A

2 GTP molecules

93
Q

Often translation is not sufficient to make a functional protein. What happens to these non-functional proteins post-translation?

A

They are folded and modified - amino acids interact with each other to produce a well-defined three-dimensional structure.

94
Q

What are the two populations of ribosomes?

A

Free ribosomes (in the cytosol) and bound ribosomes (attached to the ER). But they are identical and can switch from free to bound.

95
Q

What do free ribosomes tend to synthesise?

A

Proteins that function in the cytosol

96
Q

What do bound ribosomes tend to synthesise?

A

Proteins of the endomembrane system and proteins that are secreted from the cell (these are marked by a signal peptide)

97
Q

What is the genome?

A

The complete set of genes in an organism or the total genetic content in one set of chromosomes

98
Q

What is genomics? Comparative genomics?

A

The study of whole sets of genes and their interactions

The analysis and comparison of genomes

99
Q

When did the human genome project begin and when was it completed?

A

1990-2003

Cost $2.7 bn

100
Q

In Jan 2017 Illumna announced that the company could now sequence a human genome for…

A

$1000

101
Q

As of 2018 how many organisms’ genomes have been sequenced?

A

more than 24,000 - many archaeal and bacterial

Around 10% eukaryotes

102
Q

How is genome sequencing prioritised?

A

Based on the medical, agricultural and biological opportunities expected to be created by sequencing a given organism

103
Q

How many bases are in the human genome? Compared to most bacteria? Amoebae?

A

3000 Mb (bacteria 1-6 Mb, whereas amoebae 670,000 Mb)

104
Q

The number of genes is not correlated with…

A

genome size

e.g. rice has 430 Mb genome and 42,000 genes, corn has a 2,300 Mb genome and 32,000 genes

105
Q

What is gene density?

A

The number of genes present in a given length of DNA

106
Q

Humans have 10,000 times as much ….. ….. as bacteria

A

Noncoding DNA

107
Q

The genomes of humans, rats and mic show high sequence conservation for how many noncoding regions?

A

About 500 - more highly conserved than protein-coding genes in these species

108
Q

How much of the human genome codes for proteins, rRNAs or tRNAs (exons)?

A

Only 1.5%

109
Q

What are pseudogenes?

A

Former genes that have accumulated mutations and are nonfunctional

110
Q

What are transposable elements?

A

Sequences of DNA that move from one location of the genome to another - can cause mutations by inserting into functional genes or regulatory regions

111
Q

What does comparative genomics allow us to do?

A
  • Gain a better understanding of how species have evolved
  • Help explain how the evolution of development leads to morphological diversity
  • Determine the function of genes and non-coding regions of the genome
112
Q

What are orthologs?

A

Genes in different species that evolved from a common ancestral gene by speciation - normally retain the same function in the course of evolution

113
Q

What percentage of genes are conserved between the fruit fly (drosophila) and humans?

A

60%

Zoology Semester 1 (16 decks)

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