Coding Life: DNA Replication and Cell Division Flashcards
what is cell division required for?
Growth
Cell replacement
Cellular repair
Reproduction
types of cell division
Mitosis
Meiosis
Binary fission
mitosis - what does it, what happens, purpose
Eukaryotes
One cell is copied to produce two identical daughter cells
Growth, cell replacement and repairing
meiosis
Sexual reproduction
One cell is divided into 4 daughter cells, each of which has half the genetic information of the parental cell
Essential for genetic diversity in eukaryotes
binary fission - who, what happens, how does it happen?
Prokaryotes - bacteria and archaea
One parental cell divides to form two genetically identical daughter cells
Prokaryotes are much simpler than eukaryotes - one circular chromosome, no nucleus (nucleoid instead), don’t have to worry about partitioning of organelles
DNA replication occurs at origin of replication (ori) - replication bubble forms at ori and proceeds in opposite directions around the chromosome until it is midway around. Each circular chromosome is attached to the membrane at different sites (initially close but cell elongation moves them apart) so each daughter cell has one chromosome FtsZ protein (highly conserved) accumulates in the cell wall between the attachment sites. This and other proteins form an indent in the cell wall which builds into a partition giving rise to two daughter cells that are genetically identical
prime number and DNA
1’ is closest to nitrogenous base
5’ is closest to phosphate
Phosphodiester bonds form between 3’ OH and the 5’ C
5’ to 3’ because of this
5’ to 3’ on one strand and 3’ to 5’ on the other strand
replication of DNA
Commences at an ori site (multiple ori sites making it more efficient for linear chromosomes)
Two replication forks that travel down the DNA molecule in opposite directions until another ori site is reached (where enzymes act)
Enzyme DNA helicase unwinds DNA to expose individual strands
Topoisomerase relieves tension on DNA molecule by unwinding and repairs any small nicks created
Single stranded binding proteins protect the single stranded DNA from damage
DNA polymerase is responsible for creating daughter strands - new phosphodiester bonds. Uses original DNA strand as a template (semi-conservative replication)
DNA polymerase needs a free 3’ OH in order to add the first nucleotide (made available with an RNA primer made available by RNA primase)
limitations of DNA polymerase
Can only read and synthesise DNA molecules not RNA
Can only synthesis DNA 5’ to 3’
Can only read the template 3’ to 5’
leading vs lagging strand synthesis
Two strands being synthesised at once
Leading strand - reading template 3’ to 5’ so synthesis occurs 5’ to 3’ (same direction as replication fork is travelling). Daughter strand can be synthesised continuously
Lagging strand - template strand is in the wrong orientation (needs to be read 5’ to 3’ which cannot happen) so RNA primase must make several RNA primers short distances apart and the DNA polymerase jumps ahead and synthesises DNA which leads to the formation of short DNA segments called Okazaki fragments which need to be joined by DNA ligase
Leading and lagging continue for the entire chromosome
Due to being linear, leading strand synthesis can go right to the end of the chromosome but lagging strands run out of chromosome for RNA primer to bind to - chromosomes would shorten with every replication
Short, repeating units at the end called telomeres deal with this (made by telomerase) which ensure there is enough DNA at the end for a primer to be synthesised
proof reading capability of DNA polymerase
DNA polymerase only makes mistakes 1 every 100 million nucleotides
Reverses and then removed the wrong nucleotide and replaces it
what does the cell cycle of eukaryotic cells do?
Regulates cell division
Uncontrolled cell division can cause things like cancer (mutations in genes that control cell division)
M phase
Mitosis and cytokinesis
When the parent cell divides into two daughter cells
Chromosomes condense and become more visible
PMAT
interphase
time between two successive M phases 10-14 hours Prepares for cell division Replication of DNA in nucleus Increase of cell size Under a microscope you cannot see the chromosomes in this phase because they are all long and stringy
G1 phase
Gap 1
Size and protein content increase
Regulatory proteins are made and activated
S phase
Synthesis
DNA in nucleus is replicated
Makes sister chromatids (held together by a centromere)
G2 phase
Prepares for mitosis and cytokinesis
Produces spindle fibres and enzymes that segregate chromatids and producing more cellular membrane
G0 phase
No active preparation
Present in cells that do not actively divide
eukaryotic DNa organisation
DNA is organised with histones and other proteins into chromatin and packaged as chromosomes
karyotype
portrait of all the chromosomes
Most human cells have 46 chromosomes
Pairs of homologous chromosomes - genes one from each parent
Sex chromosomes xx and xy
cyclins
Proteins that regulate progression through phases
Many different types often characterised by when they act such as G1/S or S or G2/M or M (even more classes under this)
Bind to CDK (Cyclin Dependant Kinases) which is an enzyme
CDK phosphorylates target proteins (that encode proteins responsible for DNA replication, production of more membrane etc.)
CDK is activated and can then modify its targets by adding a phosphoryl group
Cyclins and CDK complexes are specific usually for each stage of the cell cycle - “gatekeepers” of the cell cycle
Cyclins respond to interactions with other proteins - target proteins mediate transition to next phase
Inhibitors may bind to cyclin CDK complexes and stop their function eg. P53 is a protein that deactivates cyclins when an error has occurred in the DNA. Binds to DNA and produces an inhibitor which blocks the CDK cyclin complex from continuing the cycle. So it no longer goes from G1 to S with the damaged DNA template (daughter cells would have damaged DNA). Cell then goes in G0 - repair DNA or be destroyed