Cellular Control Flashcards
What’s a mutation
A random change to the genetic material
-> the rate of these are increased by mutagens
Gene mutations occur randomly, during DNA replication…
What are the two types of mutation that can occur
- Point
- Indel
What’s a point mutation
When one base pair is substituted for another
Types of point mutations
Silent
Missense
Nonsense
What’s a silent mutation
There’s a change to the base triplet, but the triplet still codes for the same amino acid and the sequence is not changed
-> can occur as generic code is degenerate: certain codons may code for the same amino acid
Therefore, primary / secondary / tertiary structure not affect
What’s a missense mutation
A change to the codon / base triplet, which causes it to become a termination / stop triplet
This results in:
An incomplete polypeptide chain produced, therefore, the protein is shortened & the protein cannot function
What’s an indel mutation
The random insertion or deletion of a nucleotide base pair (not in multiples of 3) into the DNA sequence
-> this can cause frameshifts or the addition / loss of an amino acid
What are the 3 types of indel mutations
Insertion
Frameshift
Deletion
What is an insertion mutation
When the nucleotide is randomly inserted into the DNA sequence. This changes the amino acid that would be coded for
What is a deletion mutation
When a nucleotide is randomly deleted from the DNA sequence. This also changes the amino acid that would be coded for
What is a frameshift mutation
- has a knock on effect of disrupting the reading of codon.
As the genetic code is non overlapping & read as a triplet of bases
Therefore changes all subsequent triplets in the DNA sequence
-> it changes the amino acid sequence produced,
Therefore altering the ability of the protein to function
What happens to abnormal proteins
Degraded in the cell
How can mutations be beneficial
- can result in a characteristic, which offers a selective advantage for the organism
- enhanced function of the protein
How can a mutation be neutral
Can result in a characteristic which offers no selective disadvantage for the organism & no selective advantage either
How can a mutation be harmful
Can result in a characteristic which offers a selective disadvantage for the organism
Malfunctioning protein made
How is gene expression controlled
A regulatory mechanisms which controls it in Eukaryotes = transcription factors
What are transcription factors + their function
Proteins / short non-coding pieces of RNA
Function = attach to DNA @ specific locations
How do transcription factors control which genes turned on / off or activated / suppressed or expressed / not expressed
They do this by
- binding to the genes promoter regions
- preventing RNA polymerase binding to promoter regions
- inhibit, allow RNA polymerase to attach to DNA
- suppress / activate transcription of the gene
Euchromatin vs Heterochromatin
What’s the regulatory mechanism that controls gene expression in prokaryotes
Lac operon