Chapter 16 Flashcards
What are Chargaff’s rules?
1) The base composition of DNA varies between species
2) In any species, the number of A and T bases are equal and the number of G and C bases are equal
How did Chargaff’s second rule contribute to the construction of a model for the DNA molecule?
The Watson-Crick model explains Chargaff’s rules: in any organism, the amount of A = T, and the amount of G = C, from this Watson and Crick determined that adenine (A) paired only with thymine (T), and guanine (G) paired only with cytosine (C)
How did the x-ray diffraction images produced by Wilkins and Franklin contribute to the construction of Watson and Crick’s model of DNA?
Franklin concluded that there were two outer sugar-phosphate backbones, with the nitrogenous bases paired in the molecule’s interior; Franklin’s X-ray crystallographic images of DNA enabled Watson and Crick to deduce that DNA was helical and made up of two strands, forming a double helix
What is a chromosome?
a piece of genetic material composed of chromatin (DNA and proteins)
Where are chromosomes found in eukaryotes?
In the nucleus
Where are chromosomes found In prokaryotes?
in the nucleoid
What type of chemical bond joins two nucleotides on the same strand of DNA?
covalent bond
What type of bond forms between the nucleotides of complementary strands of DNA?
hydrogen bond
Nucleotide structure
a pentose sugar, a nitrogenous base, and one phosphate
Nucleoside structure
a pentose sugar, a nitrogenous base, and three phosphates
Deoxyribose structure
a pentose sugar with one fewer oxygens than ribose
Purine structure
a nitrogenous base made of a six-member ring fused to a five-member ring
Pyrimidine structure
a nitrogenous base made of a six-member ring
Describe the process by which a nucleoside triphosphate is added to an elongating strand of DNA.
nucleoside triphosphate is added to the 3’ end by a DNA polymerase. During this process, two phosphates are broken off of the nucleoside triphosphate
Describe the sugar-phosphate backbone of a nucleic acid.
The backbone is made up of alternating pentose sugars and phosphates. The phosphates on the 5 carbon of one nucleotide are bonded to the 3 carbon of another nucleotide.
Describe the antiparallel, complementary, double-helix nature of DNA.
Watson and Crick built models of a double helix in which the backbones were antiparallel (their subunits run in opposite directions); The two strands of the double helix are complementary: adenine (A) always with thymine (T), and guanine (G) always with cytosine (C)
What is the semi-conservative model of DNA replication?
states that when a double helix replicates, each daughter molecule will have one old strand and one newly made strand
How does the semiconservative model of DNA replication compare to the conservative and dispersive models?
In the conservative model, the two parent strands rejoin and in the dispersive model, each strand is a mix of old and new
Which model of DNA replication is correct?
Semiconservative
To which end of the DNA strand can additional nucleotides be attached? Why?
3’ (3 carbon) end; DNA polymerases can only attach nucleotides to this end
Circular chromosome
has one origin of replication, so will form one replication bubble with one replication fork at each end of the bubble.
Linear chromosome
Linear chromosomes have hundreds to thousands of origins of replication and will form hundreds to thousands of replication bubbles with one replication fork at each end of the bubble.
Helicase
enzyme that untwists the double helix at the replication forks
Topoisomerase
corrects “overwinding” ahead of replication forks by breaking, swiveling, and rejoining DNA strands