Chromosome Structure and Transposons (Lec 13) Flashcards
Postive supercoiling occurs when DNA is ___ rotated, while negative supercoiling occurs when DNA is ___rotated
over; under
What is supercoiling?
the over-winding or under-winding of DNA causing it to twist on itself
supercoiling occurs when the strain of over rotation or under rotation cannot be compensated for by what?
turning of the free ends of the DNA molecule
In eukaryotes, the linear DNA molecules are often folded into ___ which are themselves stabilized by proteins resulting in supercoiling
loops
What are topoisomerases? What do they do?
enzymes that add or remove rotations from DNA;
can temporarily break nucleotide strands, rotate ends around each other, rejoin broken ends
True or false?
Topoisomerase’s can induce and relieve supercoiling
true
What advantage does negative supercoils DNA have over nonsupercoiled DNA?
makes separation of the two strands easier during replication and transcription; allows DNA to be packed into smaller space compared to relaxed DNA
True or false?
most DNA is positively supercoiled
false; negatively supercoiled
A combination of DNA and proteins is called what?
chromatin
True or false?
Euchromatin undergoes the normal process of condensation and decondensation in the cell cycle
true
Heterochromatin remains in what type of state throughout the cell cycle?
highly condensed
What is a nucleosome and what are its components?
core particle; consists of DNA + 8 histone proteins
Which histones form the nucleosome?
H2A, H2B, H3, H4 (2 each)
What is the function of the histone, H1?
attaches DNA to nucleosome
Nucleosome + H1 = ?
chromatosome
note: consists of 167 bp of DNA
What are chromatosomes separated by?
linker DNA (about 30-40 bp)
What is the name of the enzyme that cleaves the linker DNA (string) from the core particles (beads)?
nuclease
In regards to chromatin structure, how is a polytene chromosome created?
by repeated rounds of DNA replication with no cell division
DNase I sensitivity correlates with what?
gene activity
In regards to chromatin structure, what do epigenetic changes consist of?
methylation
Does chromatin structure change during transcription?
yes
True or false?
epigenetic change causes inherited phenotypic change without affecting the DNA sequence
true
What are centromeric sequences?
binding sites for the kinetochore, where spindle fibers attach
Centromeres are mostly heterochromatic, and probably defined by ___ changes rater than ____ ____
epigenetic; DNA sequnces
What role does CenH3 play in the organization of a centromere?
replaces H3 in most eukaryote centromeres
Centromeres signal what?
the beginning of anaphase
What is the function of telomeres?
stabilize ends of chromosomes
Describe telomeric sequences. How are they oriented?
usually consist of a repeated sequence of A or T nucleotides followed by several G nucleotides
string of G and C sequence is always oriented away from the centromere
What is the relationship of shelterin to telomeres?
protects ends of mammalian chromosomes from being repaired as double-stranded breaks
How are Het-A and Tart related to Drosophila telomeres?
inserted transposable elements arranged in tandem repeats
balance loss of telomeric sequences during replication
True or false?
Organisms differ in amount of DNA per cell
true
Define gene family
similar but not identical copies of unique DNA sequences that arose through duplication of an existing gene