Chapter 7 Flashcards
What did scientists believe up until the early 1950s?
that proteins were the molecules that make up genes and constitute inherited material
Griffith (1927)
discovered the natural phenomenon known as bacterial transformation
What is bacterial transformation?
the ability of bacteria to alter their genetic makeup by absorbing foreign DNA molecules from other bacterial cells and incorporating the foreign DNA into their own.
What did Griffith work with?
different strains of the bacterium Diplococcus pneumoniae, which causes pneumonia
Avery , MacLeod, and McCarty (1944)
published findings that the molecule that Griffith’s bacteria was transferring was DNA
Avery , MacLeod, and McCarty (1944)
2nd discovery
Provided direct experimental evidence that DNA is the genetic material
Hershey and Chase (1952)
proved that DNA, not proteins, is the molecule of inheritance when they tagged bacteriophages (viruses that attack bacteria) with the radioactive isotopes 32P and 35S
32P labeled the
35S labeled the
dna of the phage viruses
protein coat of the phage viruses
Hershey + Chase found that when bacteria are infected with phage viruses
32p from the virus entered the bacterium and produced thousands of progeny. However, no 35s entered the bacterium
Rosalind Franklin (1950-53)
continued the work begun by Maurice Wilkins
-carrying out the xray crystallography analysis of dna that showed dna to be a helix
Her work helped watson and crick in
developing their model of DNA
Watson and Crick received the nobel prize in 1962 for
correctly describing the structure of dna as a double helix
Meselson and Stahl (1953)
proved Watsona and Crick’s hypothesis that DNA replicates in a semiconservative fashion
Meselson and Stahl’s experiment
they cultured bacteria (replicating bacteria in controlled settings) in a medium containing heavy nitrogen (15N) and then moved them to a medium containing light nitrogen (14N) allowing the bacteria to replicate and divide once
Results of Meselson and Stahl Experiment
new bacterial DNA contained DNA consisting of 1 heavy strand and 1 light one proving Watson and crick’s theory
Structure of DNA
- Double helix shaped like a twisted ladder
- Consists of 2 complementary strands running in opposite directions from each other
DNA is a
Polymer made of repeating units called nucleotides
Each nucleotide consists of a
DNA
5-carbon sugar (deoxyribose), a phosphate molecule, and a nitrogenous base
Each nucleotide contains
1 of 4 possible nitrogenous bases → adenine (A), thymine (T), cytosine ( C ), and guanine (G)
What does A bond with?
What does C bond with?
T
G
Nucleotides of opposite chains are paired to
ne another by hydrogen bonds
DNA replication is
the making of an exact replica of DNA
The 2 new molecules of DNA that are produced
each consist of 1 new strand and 1 old strand
this is called semiconservative replication
When does DNA replication occur?
during interphase in the life cycle of a cell
What does DNA polymerase do?
- catalyzes (speeds up reaction) the replication of the new DNA
- proofreads each new DNA strand, fixing errors and minimizing the occurrence of mutations
Where does DNA unzip?
at the hydrogen bonds that connect the two strands of the double helix
Each strand of DNA serves as a template for
the new strand according to the base-pairing rules → A w/ T, C w/ G
Each time the DNA replicates
some nucleotides from ends of chromosomes are lost
How does DNA protect itself against possible loss?
some eukaryotic cells have special nonsense nucleotide sequences at the ends of chromosomes that repeat thousands of times → called telomeres
RNA
single-stranded helix
Each nucleotide consists of
RNA
5-carbon sugar (ribose), phosphate, and a nitrogenous base
(RNA) Each nucleotide contains one of the four possible nitrogenous bases →
adenine (A), uracil (U), cytosine ( C), and guanine (G)
Uracil replaces thymine → no thymine in RNA
3 types of RNA
mRNA (messenger RNA), tRNA (transfer RNA), and rRNA (ribosomal RNA)
mRNA
carries messages directly from DNA in nucleus to the cytoplasm during the making of protein.
The triplet nucleotides of mRNA (such as AAC or UUU) are called
codons
tRNA
shaped like a clover leaf and carries amino acids to mRNA at the ribosome in order to form a polypeptide.
The triplet nucleotides of tRNA are
complementary to the codons of mRNA and are called anticodons