DNA Replication Flashcards
Which nitrogenous bases are pyrimidines and purines?
adenine and guanine are purines
thymine and cytosine are pyrimidines
What happens in the INITIATION stage of DNA replication?
- DNA helicase enzyme unwinds the double helix by breaking the hydrogen bonds (starts at a specific nucleotide sequence called the origin of replication; a bubble and replication fork is formed)
- DNA gyrase (topoisomerase) enzyme assists by making sure twists and knots don’t form ahead of the bubble (this helps relieve strain at the replication fork)
- Single-stranded binding proteins (SSBs) keep DNA template strands separated
What is DNA packaged around? What are these structures called in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells?
packing around protein complexes known as HISTONES
called a nucleosome in eukaryotic cells; called a nucleoid in prokaryotic cells
When does the helix make one turn? What happens because of this?
makes one turn every 10 nucleotides or 3.4 nm; therefore there is 0.34 nm between base pairs
What does DNA polymerase I do?
replaces the RNA primer with DNA, leaving a tiny gap
What is the Chargaff’s Rule?
the proportion of A always equals the proportion of T AND the proportion of C always equals the proportion of G
A+G = T+C [ A=T and C=G]
What is semiconservative replication? who was it proposed by and confirmed by?
each new molecule of DNA contains 1 strand of the original parent DNA & one new complementary daughter strand (hybrid model)
~ each new DNA conserves half of the original molecule
proposed by Watson & Crick; confirmed by Meselson & Stahl
What are genes? What do they do
the function units of DNA; they sequence codes for the production of specific proteins or RNA
How many antiparallel strands of nucleotides does DNA consist? How do they work
consists two
one strand runs from 5’ to 3’ and the other runs from 3’ to 5’
~ the 3’ end terminates with a hydroxyl group of the deoxyribose sugar
~ the 5’ end terminates with the phosphate group
what are purines and pyrimidines? What do they pair up with?
purines are double-ring structures (adenine and guanine) and pyrimidines are single-ring structures (thymine and cytosine)
purines pair up with pyrimidines through hydrogen bonding
what is DNA replication
the process of producing two identical DNA molecules from an original parent DNA molecule
What is the lagging strand?
synthesized away from the replication fork; formed discontinuously (in segments) from 5’ end
Why does telomerase activity slow down over time?
- in early childhood, telomerase, which replaces the telomeric region, is quite active
- with aging, the enzyme activity slows and genetic info can be lost; chromosomes can lose coding portions of their DNA as the tips fray and get damaged
What are single stranded binding proteins (SSBs)?
proteins that keep DNA template strands separated
What are okazaki fragments? what are they made on?
short DNA segments, each beginning with an RNA primer; made on lagging strand
What is the leading strand?
synthesized towards the replication fork; formed continuously from the 3’ end of the parent strand
What is DNA polymerase III?
the enzyme that catalyzes the addition of new nucleotides
What are the nucleotides in DNA supported by?
a deoxyribose sugar and a phosphate backbone