Chapter 14 Flashcards
Why did biologists in the early 1900’s think that proteins were the source of genetic information?
What is meant by polarity in reference to DNA?
Refers to directional orientation of DNA strands. DNA is read in the 5-3 direction and 3-5 direction
What are Chargaff’s rules?
- Amount of adenine always equals amount of thymine (A = T); amount of guanine always equals cytosine (G = C)
2.
What was Rosalind Franklins contribution to understanding the structure of DNA?
Used X-ray crystallography to study 3D structure of DNA
Describe the antiparallel configuration of the double helix.
Why is it important that DNA polymerases also have nuclease activity?
T or F. Both DNA and RNA polymerases require primers
False. Only DNA polymerase requires primers
In what way is DNA replication semidiscontinuous?
Replication in leading strand is always continuous; Lagging strand has to be replicated in small chunks - requires many primers
This together makes DNA replication semicontinuous
Why is the lagging strand replicated differently than the leading strand?
- More complicated because its discontinuous
- Primase is needed to make primers for each Okazaki fragment
- Okazaki fragments must be stitched together
What is an Okazaki fragment?
DNA fragment synthesized on lagging strands
How does the sliding clamp and clamp loader work - what is their function?
Why is replication of eukaryotic chromosomes more complicated than prokaryotic? And how do eukaryotic cells overcome these challenges?
Eukaryotes:
- multiple replication origins on each chromosome
- multiple, linear chromosomes
Prokaryotes:
- one origin of replication
- singular, circular chromosome
What DNA polymerases are involved in eukaryotic replication? How are they different than those in prokaryotes?
DNA pol epsilon - synthesizes leading strand
DNA pol delta - synthesizes the lagging strand
- Greater division of labor in eukaryotes
Compare specific and non-specific repair mechanisms.
What is a thymine dimer, and how are they repaired?
Thymine dimer - adjacent thymines become covalently linked
How does excision repair work?
A-T base pair
Adenine (A) can form two hydrogen bonds with thymine (T)
G-C base pair
Guanine (G) can form three hydrogen bonds with cytosine (C)
T or F: Strands are indentical
F: Strands are NOT identical; they are COMPLEMENTARY
What are the components of DNA replication?
Template – the parent DNA strand
Polymerase enzyme - does the actual ‘copying’
Nucleotides – the building blocks to make the new strand
What are the three stages of DNA replication?
Initiation – start of replication
Elongation – where the building blocks are added
Termination – replication ends
DNA polymerase
class of enzymes that all synthesize DNA