DNA and the genome Flashcards
What is the structure of DNA?
What does DNA contain?
Double stranded antiparallel structure, with deoxyribose and phosphate at 3’ and 5’ ends of each strand respectively, forming a double helix.
What do Prokaryotes contain?
Prokaryotes have a single circular chromosome and smaller circular plasmids.
What do Eukaryotes contain?
Eukaryotes all have linear chromosomes, in the nucleus, which are tightly coiled and packaged with associated proteins.
What are the associated proteins called?
The associated proteins are called histones.
What chromosomes do Eukaryotes contain and where are they found?
Eukaryotes contain circular chromosomes in their mitochondria and chloroplasts.
What is yeast a special example of?
Yeast is a special example of a eukaryote as it also has plasmids.
What happens prior to cell division?
Prior to cell division, DNA is replicated by a DNA polymerase.
What does DNA polymerase need to start replication?
DNA polymerase needs primers to start replication.
What is a primer?
A primer is a short strand of nucleotides which binds to the 3’ end of the template DNA strand allowing polymerase to add DNA nucleotides.
What does DNA polymerase add?
DNA polymerase adds DNA nucleotides, using complementary base pairing, to the deoxyribose (3’) end of the new DNA strand which is forming.
DNA is unwound and….
DNA is unwound and hydrogen bonds between bases are broken to form two template strands.
DNA polymerase can only add DNA nucleotides in one direction resulting in…
DNA polymerase can only add DNA nucleotides in one direction resulting in the leading strand being replicated continuously and the lagging strand replicated in fragments.
Fragments of DNA are joined together by what?
Fragments of DNA are joined together by ligase.
PCR amplifies DNA using what?
(PCR) amplifies DNA using complementary primers for specific target sequences.
In PCR, primers are short strands of nucleotides which are…
In PCR, primers are short strands of nucleotides which are complementary to specific target sequences at the two ends of the region of DNA to be amplified.
What does repeated cycles of heating and cooling do?
Repeated cycles of heating and cooling amplify the target region of DNA.
What is DNA heated to? To separate the strands?
DNA is heated to between 92 and 98 °C to separate the strands.
What is it then cooled down to to allow primers to bind to target sequences?
It is then cooled to between 50 and 65 °C to allow primers to bind to target sequences.
What is it then heated to for heat tolerant DNA polymerase to replicate the region of DNA for heat-tolerant DNA polymerase to replicate the region of DNA.
It is then heated to between 70 and 80 °C for heat-tolerant DNA polymerase to replicate the region of DNA for heat-tolerant DNA polymerase to replicate the region of DNA.
What can PCR do to help solve crimes?
PCR can amplify DNA to help solve crimes, settle paternity suits and diagnose genetic disorders.
Only a fraction of the genes in a cell are……
Only a fraction of the genes in a cell are expressed.
What does transcription and translation involve?
What 3 types of RNA?
Transcription and translation involves three types of RNA (mRNA, tRNA and rRNA).
What is RNA?
RNA is single stranded and is composed of nucleotides containing ribose sugar, phosphate and one of four bases: cytosine, guanine, adenine and uracil.
What does Messenger RNA carry?
Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries a copy of the DNA code from the nucleus to the ribosome.
mRNA is transcribed from DNA in the ________and____________ into proteins by ribosomes in the cytoplasm.
mRNA is transcribed from DNA in the nucleus and translated into proteins by ribosomes in the cytoplasm.
What are each triplet of bases on the mRNA molecule called and what do they code for?
Each triplet of bases on the mRNA molecule is called a codon and codes for a specific amino acid.
What does transfer RNA fold due to?
What does each tRNA molecule carry?
What does a tRNA molecule have?
Transfer RNA (tRNA) folds due to complementary base pairing. Each tRNA molecule carries its specific amino acid to the ribosome. A tRNA molecule has an anticodon (an exposed triplet of bases) at one end and an attachment site for a specific amino acid at the other end.
What 2 things form the ribosome?
Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and proteins form the ribosome.
RNA polymerase moves along DNA …..
RNA polymerase moves along DNA unwinding the double helix and breaking the hydrogen bonds between the bases.
RNA polymerase synthesises a primary….
RNA polymerase synthesises a primary transcript of mRNA from RNA nucleotides by complementary base pairing.
What is uracil complementary to?
Uracil in RNA is complementary to adenine.
What does RNA splicing form?
RNA splicing forms a mature mRNA transcript.
What are the introns of the primary transcript
The introns of the primary transcript are non-coding regions and are removed.
The exons are _________ and are joined together to form the ____________-
The exons are coding regions and are joined together to form the mature transcript.
The order of the exons is ________ during splicing.
The order of the exons is unchanged during splicing.
Where does translation begin and end?
Translation begins at a start codon and ends at a stop codon.
What do Anticodons do?
Anticodons bond to codons by complementary base pairing, translating the genetic code into a sequence of amino acids. Peptide bonds join the amino acids together.
What does each tRNA do when the polypeptide is formed?
Each tRNA then leaves the ribosome as the polypeptide is formed.
Different mature mRNA transcripts are produced from the__________
Different mature mRNA transcripts are produced from the same primary transcript depending on which exons are retained.