Biochemistry - Cellular Structure & Biomechanics Block (I) Flashcards
Euchromatin is known as ‘beads on a string’ due to its arrangement as nucleosomes connected by linker DNA. These fibers are commonly referred to by their width.
What width does euchromatin have?
11 nanometers
The weak forces connecting DNA to histones are primarily produced by electrical interactions between what structures?
DNA phosphate groups (-) and arginine and lysine side chains (+)
What are the proteins making up the histone octamer?
H2a (x2)
H2b (x2)
H3 (x2)
H4 (x2)
What histone protein is not part of the histone octamer?
H1
One fiber of euchromatin is ___ nm in width.
One fiber of heterochromatin is ___ nm in width.
11;
30
What portion of the nucleosome is the site of most modifications that allow for gene activation and silencing?
The histone tails
What major nucleosome modifier is responsible for decondensation (unwinding) of chromatin?
What effect will this have on the genes involved?
Acetylation;
increased gene expression
How does acetylation of the histone tails (specifically lysine residues) cause decondensation of the chromatin?
It neutralizes some histone positive charge
What enzyme is responsible for histone acetylation?
What enzyme is responsible for histone deacetylation?
Histone acetyltransferases (HATs);
histone deacetylases (HDACs)
Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) have what effect on chromatin?
Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have what effect on chromatin?
Decondensation (11 nm fibers);
condensation (30 nm fibers)
Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) have what effect on gene expression?
Histone deacetylases (HDACs) have what effect on gene expression?
Increased gene expression;
gene silencing
What effect does methylation typically have on chromatin?
Gene silencing
How does histone methylation cause gene silencing?
By preventing acetylation
What is the typical effect of histone phosphorylation?
To promote chromatin decondensation (unwinding)
Which histone modifications will typically result in chromatin decondensation (unwinding) and increased gene expression?
Acetylation (by HATs);
phosphorylation
Which histone modifications will typically result in chromatin condensation (coiling) and gene silencing?
Deactylation (by HDACs);
methylation
For what are SWI/SNF responsible in gene expression?
How?
Regulation of chromatin decondensation;
through HAT function
For what is H1 responsible in gene expression?
How?
Facilitating DNA condensation;
through HDACs
Which activators regulate HAT function and chromatin decondensation?
Which activators regulate HDAC function and chromatin condensation?
SWI/SNF;
H1
What is the function of the MECP2 protein?
To bind methylated DNA (not methylated histones)
and recruit HDACs
DNA methylation (as opposed to histone methylation) will result in activation of what protein and what effect?
The MECP2 protein;
HDAC recruitment;
chromatin condensation
What is the shortest phase of the cell cycle?
What phase is significantly shortened in rapidly dividing (e.g. tumor) cells?
M;
G1
How many chromosomal autosome pairs are there?
How many chromosomal sex pairs are there?
22;
1
What stain is often used in karyotyping so different chromosomes can be distinguished from one another?
What segments are marked using this staining process?
G-banding;
A-T rich sequences
Define euploidy.
Correct number of chromosome pairs
What is the term if an embryo is missing both chromosomes of one chromosomal pair?
What is the term if an embryo is missing one chromosome of a chromosomal pair?
What is the term if an embryo has both chromosomes of one chromosomal pair?
What is the term if an embryo has an extra chromosome in addition to one chromosomal pair?
Nullisomy (-2);
monosomy (-1);
euploidy (0; just right);
trisomy (+1);
What enzyme cuts specific palindromic DNA sequences?
Restriction endonucleases
DNA of interest can be recombined into a plasmid after cutting palindromic sequences on both using what type of enzyme?
What enzyme then seals their exposed palindromic sequences?
What then happens in the bacteria containing this recombined DNA?
An endonuclease;
DNA ligase;
replication (of the cell and DNA)
What in particular can in-situ hybridization be used to analyze?
Gene expression (through antibodies that show mRNA and/or protein expression)
What specialized base pairs are useful for Sanger DNA sequencing? What is important about the base pair insertions?
Dideoxynucleotides (ddATP, ddGTP, ddCTP, ddTTP);
one must attach after each base pair of the target sequence, creating sequences of all lengths from the full sequence to only one base pair
What is PCR good for?
Amplifying DNA sequences using a system of primers, heating, and Taq polymerases
How do we know that genetic polymorphisms are not simply new mutations?
They are present in ≥1% of the population
Per every 1 billion base pairs copied, how many mutations occur?
~1
What general term can be used to describe DNA replication in regards to the way older DNA strands are distributed amongst newer strands as replication occurs?
It is semi-conservative
True/False.
DNA is both antiparallel and complementary.
True.
What does it mean that DNA replication is semi-conservative?
Each new DNA duplex model is composed of one parent strand and one daughter strand
DNA origins of replication are characterized by a richness of what type of base pairing?
A-T pairings
All DNA replication occurs in what direction?
5’ to 3’
What structure is used to provide a 3’-hydroxyl group so that DNA replication can initiate after the strands are denatured from one another?
An RNA primer
What enzyme ‘unwinds’ DNA helices from one another?
What enzyme releases the tension this creates by snipping and rejoining the strands?
What proteins prevent reannealing of the strands?
Helicase;
topoisomerase;
single-stranded binding proteins
In-vitro DNA replication mutations are 1 out of every 10,000 base pairs. In-vivo human replication mutations are 1 out of every 1,000,000,000 base pairs.
What explains this discrepancy?
Extensive DNA repair systems
What bacterial DNA polymerase is the main one synthesizing new strands?
DNA polymerase III (bacterial)
What bacterial DNA polymerase replaces RNA primers with DNA?
DNA polymerase I (bacterial)
What bacterial DNA polymerases are most involved in DNA repair?
DNA polymerase I and II (bacterial)
How does DNA polymerase I (bacterial) remove RNA primers to be replaced with DNA?
3’ to 5’ exonuclease activity
What enzyme connects Okazaki fragments?
DNA ligase
How many replication origin points do eukaryotes have in each contiguous piece of DNA?
(1 or many?)
Many
Where is the hydroxyl group that the triphosphate bond attacks in DNA polymerization?
(I.e. hydroxyl groups of what prime are attacked by phosphates of what prime?)
3’-hydroxyl
5’-phosphate
For what is eukaryotic DNA polymerase Alpha useful?
Synthesizing short stretches of DNA, works with RNA primase to make RNA primers
For what is eukaryotic DNA polymerase Delta useful?
Takes over after RNA primers; lagging strand synthesis (but also can be leading)
For what is eukaryotic DNA polymerase Epsilon useful?
Leading strand synthesis (but also can be lagging)
For what is eukaryotic DNA polymerase Beta useful?
DNA repair
For what is eukaryotic DNA polymerase Gamma useful?
Mitochondrial DNA replication
What enzyme is able to ‘read’ RNA in order to synthesize new DNA?
What types of infectious agents are likely to have this enzyme?
Reverse transcriptase;
retroviruses (e.g. HIV)
DNA synthesis occurs in what direction?
5’ to 3’
What bacterial enzyme removes and replaces the RNA primers of DNA replication?
How?
DNA polymerase I;
5’ to 3’ exonuclease activity
DNA ligase forms what type of bond?
3’ to 5’ phosphodiester bonds
Which bacterial enzyme is able to perform both 5’ to 3’ DNA synthesis and 3’ to 5’ exonuclease activity?
DNA polymerase I
DNA proofreading by bacterial DNA polymerase I occurs in what direction?
3’ to 5’
How is bacterial DNA polymerase I able to perform both 5’ to 3’ synthesis and 3’ to 5’ exonuclease activity?
There are two separate active sites on the enzyme
What enzyme fills in the space left behind by RNA primers at the end of genetic sequences?
Why is this important?
Telomerase (TTAGGG);
to protect against chromosomal shortening
Why is telomerase needed in DNA replication?
The final Okazaki fragment of the lagging strand has a gap at the end where no RNA primer 3’-hydroxyl is be placed as the space is shortened
Which enzyme(s) is(are) responsible for processive DNA synthesis in bacteria?
Which enzyme(s) is(are) responsible for processive DNA synthesis in eukaryotes?
DNA polymerase III;
DNA polymerase delta, DNA polymerase epsilon
DNA is synthesized in what direction?
The template used for synthesis is read in what direction?
5’ to 3’;
3’ to 5’
What are a few exogenous sources of DNA damage?
Ionizing radiation;
UV rays;
environmental chemicals
What are a few endogenous sources of DNA damage?
Reactive oxygen species (ROS);
uncorrected errors of replication
Chemical and ROS damage to DNA often results in what sort of structural changes?
UV damage to DNA often results in what sort of structural changes?
Depurination, deamination;
thymidine dimers
Deamination of cytosine leads to:
Uracil
What are three forms of DNA repair?
(the three ‘excision repairs’)
Base excision repair
Nucleotide excision repair
Mismatch excision repair
Deamination of 5-methylcytosine leads to:
Thymine
How are basepairing errors and other minor DNA errors corrected?
What is a common example of a new basepairing error?
Base excision repair;
5-methylcytosine is deaminated to thymine
(C to T)
How are thymidine dimers and other large DNA lesions corrected?
Nucleotide excision repair
What is the most common form of basepair error?
What type of DNA repair mechanism would address this?
Cytosine to thymine mutations
(and subsequent T-G base pairs);
base excision repair
How much of the DNA strand is removed in base excision repair?
Just the errant base
How much of the DNA strand is removed in nucleotide excision repair?
Often several nucleotides in sequence
How much of the DNA strand is removed in mismatch excision repair?
Often several nucleotides in sequence
What are the two endonucleases of nucleotide excision repair?
XP-F and XP-G
What is the rate-limiting enzyme of nucleotide excision repair?
What gene codes for it?
XP-F;
ERCC1
Cisplatin is used to damage DNA and induce apoptosis.
What defense mechanism is fixing this damage?
Cells overexpressing what gene will be resistant to cisplatin?
Nucleotide excision repair;
ERCC1 (XP-F gene)
What type of DNA repair mechanism catches uncorrected errors of replication?
Mismatch excision repair
What is the difference between nucleotide excision repair (NER) and mismatch excision repair (MER)?
NER corrects large defects (e.g. thymidine dimers);
MER corrects errors of replication (e.g. C-A pairing)
Which of the three forms of DNA excision repair (base, nucleotide, mismatch) involve(s) helicase, endonucleases, polymerase, and ligase in removing sequences of DNA (i.e. more than one nucleotide) and refilling them?
Nucleotide, mismatch
(base only removes a single, solitary base)
What are the two types of gene (based on whether the gene is virtually always active and needed or not)?
Constitutive;
regulated
What is a constitutive gene?
(as opposed to regulated)
A gene that is always active in virtually all cells
(needed for basic cell survival)
What is a regulated gene?
(as opposed to constitutive)
A gene that is only needed sometimes;
they are turned on and off according to cellular needs/signals
Constitutively expressed genes are always active and needed. They operate at a _______ level that is then induced or repressed as needed.
Basal
What type of prokaryotic protein represses gene expression by interacting with the gene promoter?
An oppressor protein
What type of prokaryotic protein increases gene expression by interacting with the gene promoter?
A gene activator
To what area of the gene do opressor proteins bind?
The repressor region
To what area of the gene do activator proteins bind?
Just adjacent to the promotor
What is typically the mechanism by which oppressor and activator proteins are activated or inhibited in prokaryotes?
Single effector signaling molecules
Regulation of the lactose operon depends on surrounding levels of what substances?
Lactose;
cAMP (glucose-dependent);
glucose
cAMP binds what modifier to the lac operon?
Lactose binds what modifier to the lac operon?
The activator (CAP) (inducing gene transcription);
the repressor (removing it and inducing gene transcription)
What will be the state of transcription of the Lac operon in the following situation?
Lactose low
Glucose high
Low cAMP
No transcription