Biology Mutations and Cancer (slide 5) Flashcards
Mutations are any change to our
DNA
Cancer is a
“disease of errors”
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the
genetic information
DNA is located in the
nucleus of cell
DNA is tightly coiled into
two strands known as chromosomes
DNA is made up of
deoxyribonucleotides repeated over and over
DNA is made up of:
Pentose sugar (deoxyribose)
Phosphate group
Nitrogenous bases (Adenine, Guanine, Thymine, Cytosine)
Nitrogenous bases
(Adenine, Guanine, Thymine, Cytosine)
The base pairings are always read in sequences of
three (codons)
Adenine (A) always pairs
with Thymine (T)
Guanine (G) always pairs with
Cytosine (C)
Strand 1: AAT-GCA-TGA-TAC
Strand 2: TTA-CGT-ACT-ATG
What is a “mutation”?
A mutation is a change in a cell’s DNA sequence
Why are mutations important?
Mutations can be beneficial and help organisms adapt to it’s environment
for evolution
Types of mutations:
Base substitution: an alteration of bases
Base insertion: adding a base
Base deletion: subtracting a base
Base substitution:
An alteration of bases
Base insertion:
adding a base
Base deletion:
subtracting a base
Base substitution
AAG-CTG-CAG becomes
AAG-CGG-CAG
Base insertion
AAG-CTG-CAG becomes
AAG-CAT-GCA-G
Base deletion
AAG-CTG-CAG becomes
AAG-CGC-AG
Cells are continually
replicating
If the DNA of a particular cell gets mutated, then this change can
also be seen
in any cells that arise from this particular cell
If any of the letters (codons) are changed,
then a new message is
being sent