Exam 4 Flashcards
Protein Coding DNA is transcribed into?
mRNA,
Transcription begins the gene expression pathway
Non-protein coding has many different categories of sequences including?
RNA molecules are produced by transcription
Which major kinds of RNA are produced due to Transcription?
mRNA, tRNA, rRNA
what are other types of RNA produced
miRNA, TelomeraseRNA , snRNA
What is noncoding DNA?
DNA that never will transcribe
Function of rRNAs
Protein synthesis
Function of tRNAs
Protein Synthesis
Function of snRNAs
mRNA splicing
Function of miRNAs
Regulation of gene expression
Telomerase RNA
template for the addition of telomeres
Describe the differences between Transcription and replication.
Transcription (DNA-RNA)
* Only one DNA strand is used as a template
* No Primer
* ‘specific’ sequence recognition
* No proofreading
* Use rNTP
Replication (DNA-DNA)
* Both DNA strands are used as
template
* Primer (RNA)
* No ‘specific’ sequence recognition
* * Proofreading
* dNTP
Transcription occurs in which direction?
5’-3’
In RNA synthesis the DNA language is copied into the language of?
RNA
In RNA synthesis transcription is selective so it doesn’t?
copy the entire genome
In RNA synthesis what do regulatory sequences mark?
the beginning and the end of DNA segments to be transcribed
In RNA synthesis gene regulation means?
- Which genes are expressed (transcribed and
ultimately translated into proteins) - How much of a gene is expressed (transcribed) HOW MANY COPIES
- Ultimately this should connect to the protein levels produced
What is the template strand for RNA made of and what is its direction?
Template DNA strand in the 3’-5’ direction
Describe significant aspects of RNA polymerase and how it adds building blocks for the formation of a new RNA strand.
-RNA polymerase adds bases on the 3’OH just like DNA polymerase
-nucleophilic attack by the 3’OH on the alpha phosphate with the PPI being released
-Magnesium plays an important role in the chemical binding of rNTPs
RNA polymerase has a great conservation between?
3 kingdoms of the organism
-especially conserved in the active sites
-multiple subunits
Bacteria have how many RNA pol and DNA pol?
Bacteria have only a single RNA polymerase (in
contrast they have 5 DNA polymerases)
Eukaryotic cells have how many RNA pol and DNA pol?
Eukaryotic cells have three RNA polymerases (I, II, III) (in contrast 15 DNA polymerases)
What is the most well-studied Eukaryotic Pol?
Pol 2 ( shape like a crab claw)
How does RNA polymerase employ a two-metal ion catalytic mechanism?
Only one Mg2+ is tightly bound in the active site; the second one is brought in with each nucleotide
RNA polymerase is made up of how many subunits?(Bacteria)
4 subunits
Which polymerase is involved in the transcription of all protein genes( mRNA)?
RNA polymerase ll
What do the other two classes of polymerase transcribe? RNA pol 1 and RNA pol 3
only RNA genes
* RNA polymerase I is located in the nucleolus,
transcribing rRNA genes except 5S rRNA.
* RNA polymerase III is located outside the nucleolus, transcribing 5S rRNA, tRNA, U6 snRNA and some small RNA genes.
Does RNA polymerase need a primer?
RNA polymerase does not need a primer but does recognize specific sites
Does RNA remain on the template strand?
RNA does not remain base-paired to the template DNA; multiple RNA polymerization events at the same time
How accurate is Transcription?
Transcription is much less accurate, mistakes are similar to DNA polymerase without proofreading
Is Transcirpiton broad-like replication?
Transcription is a selective process while DNA replication must occur completely and only once per cell division.
What is the use of a start codon?
for translation, not transcription
Why is the lack of proofreading in RNA polymerase, not a problem?
- RNA polymerases lack a separate proofreading 3′→5′ exonuclease active site, which exists in many DNA polymerases.
- A mistake in the RNA molecule is less consequential than one in DNA
- All RNAs are eventually degraded and replaced
Why do viruses have high rates of evolution?
-in part by the RNA-dependent RNA polymerases (RdRp) that replicate their genomes. Unlike many DNA polymerases, RdRp does not have proofreading activity and is thus unable to correct mistakes during replication.
-These high evolutionary rates have been attributed to the large population sizes, short generation times, and high mutation rates of viruses. Mutation rate, specifically, is an important determinant of evolutionary rate.
what does mutation rate mean in the context of a virus?
mutation rate is the rate at which errors are made during replication of the viral genome.
Retroviruses
like all RNA viruses, exhibit a high mutation rate. Polymerization errors during DNA synthesis by reverse transcriptase, which lacks a proofreading activity, is a major mechanism for generating genetic variation within retroviral populations
Promoters
DNA sequences that exist at the start of the gene
aspects of Transcription
- Recognizing Promoters
- Unwinding DNA
- Transcribing one DNA strand
- Terminate transcription
- RNA polymerases do the job: use no primer, use rNTPs and they need help from other proteins called txp factors or sigma factors: RNA polymerization is processive
- Initiation, elongation, termination
How is the template strand accessed in transcription?
The DNA duplex is unwound for about 17 bp, forming a bubble, which enables RNA polymerase to access the template strand. DNA supercoiling occurs both in front of and behind the transcription bubble.
How does RNA polymerase achieve elongation and termination by?
RNA polymerase binding at the promoter—requiring sigma (σ) factor and, in eukaryotes, transcription factors (TFs)— leads to initiation of transcription by the polymerase holoenzyme, followed by elongation and termination. Once elongation begins, RNA polymerase becomes a highly efficient enzyme
Describe the 5 steps of Transcription at Pol 2 promotors
- Pol 2 recruited to DNA by transcription factors which leads to the binding of RNA polymerase core to the DNA promoter (pre-initiation complex)
- Formation of the transcription bubble (initiation complex)
- Phosphorylation of CTD during initiation
- there is a promoter clearance where there is then elongation (elongation complex)
- Transcription terminates and CTD is dephosphorylated(Termination complex)
rho Independent termination
mRNA sequences form a hairpin, which is followed by three U’s, stalling the polymerase and separating it to form the mRNA
rho dependent termination
there is a rho helicase that separates the polymerase
Inhibitors of transcription
- Actinomycin D (Streptomyces soil bacteria): block transcription elongation in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes
- Rifampicin: prevents promoter clearance in bacteria only; does not affect eukaryotes used to treat tuberculosis and leprosy
Where do antibiotics come from
Some species rely on transcription inhibitors for natural biodefense. For example, the mushroom Amanita phalloides produces α-amanitin
alpha-Amanitin inhibits which of the RNA polymerase?
Pol 2
What is one obvious difference between bacteria and eukaryote transcription?
IS BACTERIA HAVE A SINGLE RNA POLYMERASE ENZYME FOR SYNTHESIZING ALL THE RNA MOLECULES IN THE CELL, INSTEAD OF THE THREE RNA POLYMERASES FOUND IN EUKARYOTES
Initiation of transcription has interplay between RNA polymerase and?
activator and repressor proteins
most common sigma factor?
sigma 70
Describe how sigma factors play a role in bacteria.
-binding to RNA polymerase and DNA sequences
function :bringing the RNA polymerase to the promoter
-helps RNA polymerase in separating DNA stands
sigma 70
- Housekeeping (default) initiation factor
- Helps Polymerase position at +1 to start
- Binds sequences at -35 and -10
What region does the Sigma 70 factor recognize?
-10 and -35 sequences
Abortive initiation
in which shot RNA transcripts are synthesized and released,
until the promoter site is cleared.
How do we study promoters?
-Link promoter regions of interest to reporter genes
o Structural gene and regulatory regions can be separated
o Attach regulatory region to reporter gene: 3 types of reporter genes:Beta Gal , Luciferase, GFP