Chapter 12: DNA Organization in Chromosomes Flashcards
This is the decondensed nucleoprotein structure eukaryotic chromosomes are in during interphase.
chromatin
Why do eukaryotes organize their DNA into chromatin?
The genome is huge, and this is an efficient way of packing it.
Chromatin’s structure resembles ______.
beads on a string
The “beads” in chromatin are called _____.
nucleosomes
Nucleosomes are made of _____.
histone proteins
Histone proteins are _____ charged.
positively
How many histone molecules are there per histone?
Eight.
True or false: histone proteins are highly conserved.
True.
Why does DNA stick to the histone particles?
They are positively charged, and DNA is negatively charged due to the phosphates, so they form tight ionic bonds.
How many types of histones are there?
Four.
What are the four types of histones?
H2A, H2B, H3, and H4
H2A and H2B histones are ______ rich.
slightly lysine
H3 histones are _____ rich.
arginine
H4 histones are _____ rich.
arginine
This type of histone is not part of the core particle, but is made of linker DNA and wraps around the core.
H1 protein
The nucleosome core particle is comprised of _____ base pairs.
147
This particle is made up of two tetramers and is a form of linker DNA.
Nucleosome core particle
What must the packing ratio be in order for DNA to fit in the nucleus?
500 to 1.
How many levels/orders of condensation are there in chromatin condensation?
Four.
In this level of condensation, chromatin is reduced to 1/3 of original length.
Level 1
What happens in level 1 of chromatin condensation?
The 147 base pairs wrap around the histone.
The histone with the 147 base pairs wrapped around it is called a _____.
Nucleosome
In this level of condensation, chromatin is reduced by an additional 6-fold, resulting in the chromatin being 18-fold smaller than its initial size.
Level 2
The structure formed by nucleosomes coiling and stacking in level 2 of chromatin condensation is called the _____.
solenoid