BB1720 DNA: replication and recombination Flashcards
What is DNA replication?
- copying of DNA
- occurs during mitosis and meiosis, S phase
importance of DNA replication
DNA is constantly being damaged
damage must be repaired
replication must be accurate
how is accuracy achieved?
complementary base pairing
process of dna replication
- two DNA strands are separated
- each strand is used to make a - new copy of the missing strand
- semi conservative
key components of DNA replication
dNTPs
DNA helicase
single stranded DNA binding proteins
DNA polymerase
what are dNTPs?
- building blocks of DNA
- purines -> adenine + guanine
- pyrimidines -> cytosine + uracil + thymine
- A and T
- G and C
- placed into PCR
What is DNA helicase?
- enzyme that unwinds and separates double helix DNA, antiparallel
- allows DNA polymerase to gain access and make a copy
- requires energy
single stranded DNA binding proteins
- binds to single stranded, lagging DNA
- occurs after helicase unwinds the double helix
function of single stranded DNA binding proteins
- stops strands from being repaired or destroyed
- prevent base pairing
- prevent DNA from sticking to itself and block copying
- prevent formation of hairpins
function of hairpins
stops polymerase from working
DNA polymerase
- makes the copy
- adds dNTPs to 3’ end of the DNA molecule
- chain grows from 5’ to 3’
- DNA is antiparallel
- adds 500-1,000 bases per second and helicase unwinds at the same rate
- makes mistakes
how does the antiparallel relate to DNA polymerase and replication?
- one strand faces the wrong way for replication
- the replication fork constantly exposes new bases
how does DNA polymerase use thereplication fork to create DNA?
- bottom strand of the fork has a constant supply of bases to pair
- top strand runs out of DNA - lagging strand
- 3’ 5’ ends come back into helicase. 5’ ends come out of the top. 3’ come out the bottom
- short fragment of DNA produced
why are single stranded binding proteins required for DNA polymerase replication fork mechanism?
prevent base pairing and DNA primase
add RNA as start point for DNA polymerase
conditions for DNA polymerase to make copy of DNA
- cant make copy until it has the template
- needs 3’ OH group to attach nucleoside triphosphate
- needs a primer - insert U instead of T which is later corrected
what happens when DNA polymerase makes mistakes
proof reading
replication stops until error is corrected
if error isnt corrected it’s repaired later