Embryology 101

Question 1

What are the purine and pyrimidine bases of DNA?

Answer 1

The purine are: A, G, and the pyrimidine are: C, T.

Question 2

What are the purine and pyrimidine bases of RNA?

Answer 2

The purine are: A, G, and the pyrimidine are: C, U.

Question 3

What is the transcription process?

Answer 3

It’s when the DNA is used as a guide to make a complementary base-pairing RNA.

Question 4

How does DNA turn into pre-mRNA?

Answer 4

The RNA polimerase separates the strands of DNA and follows the ribonucleoside triphosphate that indicate the correct strand for sequencing, the anti-sense strand (no gene strand = complementary to the one with the gene). From the start codon (AUG) to the end codon (UAA/UAG/UGA), the RNA polimerase makes a pre-mRNA strand copying the sequence of the sense strand by complimenting the bases of the anti-sense one.

Question 5

What is(are) the start codon(s)?

Answer 5

AUG

Question 6

What is(are) the end codon(s)?

Answer 6

UGA, UAA, UAG

Question 7

What is the splicing process?

Answer 7

A process that happens in transcription that takes off introns (extra codons), leaving the exons that are used to make the protein further on.

Question 8

What is the importance of introns?

Answer 8

They allow alternative splicing (one DNA can make multiple mRNA depending on the splicing), regulate gene expression, maximize silent mutations and other unknown functions.

Question 9

What is the translation process?

Answer 9

It’s when RNA is used as a “recipe” to make a protein.