Chapter 17 Flashcards
What is gene expression?
a process in which DNA directs the synthesis of proteins
What is the one gene-one enzyme hypothesis?
a gene dictates the production of a specific enzyme
What is the one gene-one polypeptide hypothesis? (2)
Some proteins are not enzymes
Some proteins are made up of multiple polypeptides with different genes
What is transcription? (3)
Synthesis of RNA using the information in the DNA
Two nucleic acids are written in different forms of the same language
Information is transcribed from DNA to RNA
Messenger RNA
Carries a genetic message from the DNA to the protein-syntehsizing machinery of the cell
What is translation? (2)
Synthesis of polypeptides using the information in the mRNA
Cell must translate the nucleotide sequence of an mRNA into the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide
What are ribosomes? (2)
sites of translation
facilitates the orderly linking of amino acids into polypeptide chains
Bacteria vs Eukaryote gene expression (3)
Bacterial DNA is not separated by nuclear membranes from ribosomes
allows translation and transcription to occur at the same time
eukaryotic cells transcript first in the nucleus, transport into the cytoplasm where it translates
What is pre-mRNA?
RNA transcripts that are modified into mRNA
What is primary transcript?
Initial transcript from any gene that is not translated into a protein
What is the triplet flow? (4)
genetic instructions for a polypeptide chain are written in the DNA as a series of three-nucleotide words
series of nucleotides is transcribed into three specific orders, which is then translated
gene determines the sequence of nucleotide bases along the length of the RNA being synthesizes
for each gene, only one strand of DNA is transcribed
What is the template strand? (3)
DNA strand being transcribed
the same strand is used as the template every time for a given gene
synthesized in an antiparallel direction to the template strand
What are codons?
mRNA nucleotide triplet written in teh 5’ > 3’ direction
Coding strand (2)
non-template strand is identical to codons but with T instead of YOU
during translation, it is read in the 5’ > 3’ direction
What are codons for? (5)
64 exists
61 of them are designated for amino acids
3 are termination codons
AUG acts as a start signal and codes for methionine
enzymes can remove methionine
What is the reading frame?
Correct groupings of symbols for an intended language
What are the stages of transcription?
Initiation, elongation, and termination
What is RNA polymerase? (4)
An enzyme that pries two strands of DNA apart and joins together RNA nucleotides complementary to the DNA template strand
Bacteria have one type
Eukayrotes have at least three
do not need primers
What is a promoter?
DNA sequence where RNA polymerase attaches and initiates transcription
What is a terminator?
A squence that signals the end of transcription
What is a transcription unit?
A stretch fo DNA downstream from the promoter that is transcribed into an RNA molecule
What is the start point?
The nucleotide where RNA synthesis begins
What is the transcription factor? (3)
Mediates the binding of RNA polymerase and the initiation of transcription
after transcription factors attach to the promoter, the RNA polymerase 2 binds to it
forms the transcription initiaition complex
TATA box (2)
nucleotide sequence containing TATA upstream around 25 nucleotides from the start point
once the transcription factors bind to the TATA box, polymerase can bind to it
Elongation process
When the RNA polymerase moves along the DNA, and the new RNA molecule peels away
Termination in Bacteria (2)
Transcription proceeds through a terminator sequence in the DNA
terminator functions as the termination signal, requiring no further modification before translation
Termination in eukaryotes (4)
Transcribes a polyadenylation signal (AAUAA) in the pre-mRNA
once it appears, it is immediately bound by certain proteins in the nucleus
proteins cut it free from the polymerase, releasing the pre-mRNA
RNA polymerase continues to transcribe until enzymes catch up and dissociates it
What is RNA processing? (2)
Enzymes in the eukaryotic nucleus modify pre-mRNA in specific ways before genetic message I dispatched to the cytoplasm
both ends are altered and some inner sections are cut out
How is mRNA altered? (2)
5’ end receives a 5’ cap, a modified form of guanine added to the first 20-40 nucleotide
3’ end adds adenine to form a poly-A tail
What is the mRNA ends for? (30
Facilitate export of the mature mRNA from the nucleus
helps protect the mRNA from degradation by hydrolytic enzymes
helps ribosomes attach to the 5’ end of mRNA
What is RNA splicing?
Removal of large portions of the RNA moleculues
What are introns?
Noncoding segments of nucleic acid that lie between coding regions
What are exons?
epxressed regions of the nucleic acids
What is UTR
Part of the mRNA that will not be translated but help ribosome binding