Chapter 17 Flashcards
What are the 3 major classes of RNA?
mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA
What is the purpose of mRNA?
carries genetic information from the DNA to the ribosomes (m for messenger)
What is the purpose of rRNA?
composes ribosomes, site of protein synthesis (r for ribosome)
What is the purpose of tRNA?
brings amino acids to the ribosomes (t for transfer)
In eukaryotic cells, transcription cannot begin until…
several transcription factors have bound to the promoter.
The anticodon of a particular tRNA molecule is
complementary to the corresponding mRNA codon.
true of a codon
- consists of three nucleotides
- is the basic unit of the genetic code.
- may code for the same amino acid as another codon
- never codes for more than one amino acid.
initiation
binding of transcription factors and RNA polymerase II to a promoter- transcription initiation complex
elongation
RNA polymerase untwists the double helix and transcription progresses at a rate of 40 nucleotides per second in eukaryotes. Assembles mRNA in 5’-3’ direction. No primer needed, start the chain from scratch.
termination
transcribes polyadenylation signal (AAUAAA), then enzymes cut the pre-mRNA free from polymerase and release it.
base-pair substitution
replaces one nucleotide and its partner with another pair of nucleotides
Silent mutations have no effect on the amino acid produced by a codon because of redundancy in the genetic code
Missense mutations
still code for an amino acid, but not necessarily the right amino acid
Nonsense mutations
change an amino acid codon into a stop codon, nearly always leading to a nonfunctional protein
Insertions and deletions
are additions or losses of nucleotide pairs in a gene
These mutations have a disastrous effect on the resulting protein more often than substitutions do
Insertion or deletion of nucleotides may alter the reading frame, producing a frameshift mutation
Mutagens
are physical or chemical agents that can cause mutations