dna replication + gene expression Flashcards
what are nucleic acids
- long linear chains of RNA or DNA
- polymeric macromolecules made from nucleotide monomers
- form a structured backbone
nucleotides are made up of
1) PENTOSE SUGAR
- beta-D-ribofuranose / ribose (in RNA)
- beta-D-deoxyribofuranose / deoxyribose (in DNA)
2) NITROGENOUS BASE
- pyrimidine or purine
- attached to 1’ carbon of sugar
3) PHOSPHATE GROUP
- attached to 5’ carbon of sugar
what are dna and rna backbones based on
repeated pattern of pentose sugar linked together by phosphate group by
which bond links a phosphate to 2 sugars and at which carbons
- PHOSPHODIESTER
- 3’ carbon on one
- 5’ carbon on other
what does the formation of phosphodiester bonds mean
- nucleic acids have directionality (strand has end to end chemical orientation)
- 5’ end = free phosphate group on carbon 5’ of its terminal sugar
- 3- end = free hydroxy group on the carbon 3’ of its terminal sugar
how does dna exist in living organisms and who discovered this
double helix
watson + crick
how was the 3d structure of DNA discovered (each scientist and their discovery)
1) CHARGAFF
- determined amnt of adenine = amnt of thymine
- and cytosine = guanine
- Chargaff’s rules
2) ROSALINE + FRANKLIN
- x-ray diffraction
- discovered dna helical, 2nm diameter, complete turn of helix made every 3.4nm
3) WATSON + CRICK
- deduced dna structure from evidence from the 2 above
- proposed double helix (2 dna strands are wrapped around each other )
what is the watson-crick model
- show the chains - one in red and one in blue
- darker colour on each = the sugar phosphate backbone
- the lighter colour on each = the purine and pyrimidine bases
what did watson and crick propose about the structure of base pairs
- held together by pairing between the nitrogenous bases in the nucleotide of each opposing strand
- attraction (hydrogen bonding) holds
1) adenine and thymine together by 2 H bonds
2) cytosine and guanine together by 3 H bonds - so the dna strand is stuck together by H bonds
why is dna described as antiparallel
- because nucleic acids have directionality
- when the 2 dna strands are physically parallel they run in opposite directions (one is 3’ to 5’ the other is 5’ to 3’)
what functions does the antiparallel nature of dna serve
- make dna more structurally stable
- facilitate complementary base pairing
- enable dna strands to be held together
what is dna replication
- process of replication of entire genome prior to cell division
- copy 1 molecule of dna to produce 2 identical molecules
- essential to allow cells to divide
- requires a template and primer
what did meselson and stahl determine about the mechanism of dna replication and what does this mean
SEMI-CONSERVATIVE REPLICATION
- replication of one helix results in 2 daughter helices
- each daughter contains 1 OG parent strand and 1 newly synthesised strand
- so dna is unwound to produce 2 single stranded molecules which act as templates for the synthesis of complementary strands
what would be seen in the
2nd generation of semiconservative replication
- 4 daughter cells
- 2 with 1 strand of parent and 1 new
- 2 with 2 newly synthesised strands
how do prokaryotic cells replicate (have circular molecules of dna)
1) INITIATION
- replication begins when initiator proteins bind to a single origin of replication on the cells circular chromosome
2) ELONGATIOON
- replication proceeds around entire circuit of the chromosome in both directions from 2 replication forks
3) TERMINATION
- result = 2 dna molecules
how is the dna double helix formed
sugar phosphate backbones wind around each other
held together by hydrogen bonds
what has to be done to dna to replicate it
open it to expose the nucleotide bases (used as templates for replicating)
what steps are involved in the initiation of dna replication
1) initiator proteins unwind a short stretch of the dna double helix
2) helicase attaches to + breaks apart the hydrogen bonds between the bases on the dna strands + pulls the 2 strands apart
- > energy (from ATP hydrolysis) and specific DNA-binding proteins are also required
what does unwinding of the dna form
- separates double dna strands at origin of replication
- 2 Y shaped replication forks form
what are Y shaped replication forks
area where replication of dna will take place (actual sites where dna copied)
dna replication starts as soon as they’re established
following the formation of Y shaped replication forks, how does replication proceed
- around the entire circle of the chromosome in each direction from 2 replication forks
- results in 2 dna molecules
how does unwinding strain the molecule and how is this regulated
- causes overwinding of nearby regions
- topoisomerase enzymes
how does topoisomerase type IA regulate the overwinding of dna
1) make a cut in one strand
2) creating a gap
3) pass the other strand through the gap then seal it
4) induces positive supercoiling (relax negative supercoiled DNA), strands are separated allowing replication machinery to proceed
what does - topoisomerase action precede
replicating DNA Mechanism
which enzymes carry out dna replication and how do they work
dna polymerases
- adds nucleotides complementary to the template strands one by one to the growing dna chain
what types of polymerase have been discovered in prokaryotes and what do they do
5 types
3 main ones are type 1, 2 and 3
- types 1+3 = required for dna replication
- type 2 = involved in dna repair
what are the two main parts of the structure of dna polymerases
PART 1
- polymerase unit
- shape of a loop and right hand with a domain referred to as palm, thumb and fingers
PART 2
- domain with 3’ to 5’ exonuclease activity
- dna polymerases often contain a 3’ specific exonuclease domain
- part = believed to be for proof reading base misincorporation AND to help maintain fidelity of DNA replication
what does the “palm” part of the domain making up the right hand of part 1 of a dna polymerase do
- contains polymerase catalytic active sites where…
1) primer template junction is bound
2) incoming nucleotides are incorporated into growing primer
what does the “finger” part of the domain making up the right hand of part 1 of a dna polymerase do
role in recognition and binding of nucleotides