DNA Repair and recombination Flashcards
How often do mutations occur in human genomes during replicaiton?
roughly 1 nucleotide per 10^8
What processes are able to correct errors in DNA replication?
- proofreading mechanism
- post replication repair
Low fidelity and high mutation rates occurring within germ cells results in what?
low fidelity and high mutation rates in germ cells causes cell death
Low fidelity and high mutation rates in somatic cells results in what?
Both will result in the formation and progression of cancerous cells
In order for DNA polymerase to function properly what materials does it require?
- dATP, dGTP, dCTP, dTTP
- strands separated by DNA helicase
- primers on 3’OH ends
What is the clamp loader protein?
- this protein hydrolyzes ATP in order to attach the sliding clamp onto the primer-template junction
Explain how DNA mismatch repair occurs in humans.
Lagging Strand:
- sequence is found via broken segments,
- MutS finds the mutation, MutL finds the closest “nick” and the DNA section between the two is removed and repaired.
Leading Strand:
- unknown process
DNA mismatch repair in E.Coli is flagged by what process?
The parental strand is methylated and signals that the other strand is the one that needs to be replaced.
What is the process that DNA Topoisomerase Type 1 operates?
- covalently bonds to one strand, cuts the other strand and allows the DNA to uncoil about the bound phosphodiester bond. Reduces coiled tension
How does topoisomerase 2 operate to relieve coiled tension?
- Used when two double helix cross paths.
- -It cuts and bind both strands of one helix to itself, undergoes a conformational change to pass the other helix between the cut, and then rejoins the helix that was doubly cut.
Why is the repilcation origin often at sites with AT binding?
- AT only bond with two bonds, and is easily broken compared to GC.
What consists of tightly packed DNA that is most often replicated late?
- heterochromatin, the tight packing makes the replication process proceed slowly
Which DNA is loosely packed and is replicated faster and first?
-euchromatin is loosely packed
What are the minimum requirements for an active Origin of Replication?
- binding site for Origin recognition complex
- AT rich zone
- Binding site for origin recogniction complex attraction protein.
What is a method to alter epigenetic inheritance?
-the recycling of histones from parental units, can retain some of the original patterning units and therefore pass on genetic material
What is the purpose of telomerase?
The telomerase is an enzyme that adds a specific sequence to the end of the DNA sequence so the lagging strand is fully synthesized. It places a repeating sequence on the end that allows the binding of a primer and DNA polymerase.
What are two syndromes that can result inf cancer due to defects in DNA repair mechanisms?
BRCA1: breast and ovarian cancer
BRCA2: breast, ovarian, prostate cancer
What is Werner syndrome and what causes it?
- premature aging, cancer, and gene instability
- caused by mutation in DNA Helicase repair