Final Flashcards
Define Solution
A mixture of a compound (solute) in a liquid (solvent). The amount (mass) of the compound in the total volume of solution is the concentration of the solute. A solution can have more than one compound and each compound has a concentration.
What is the equation for concentration and what are some common units?
Concentration= Mass/Total Volume; Mass in Grams/Volume in Liters
What is th equation for molarity?
Molarity=Moles of solute/liters of solution
How is concentration expressed in this course?
X. A 1X solution is ready for use, while a 10X stock solution needs to be diluted 10 fold.
What is the difference between a Stock Solution and a working solution?
Stock Solutions are anything greater than 1X; working solutions exclusively have a 1X concentration.
What is the formula used to calculate a dilution?
C1V1=C2V2
C1= stock concentration; V1=stock volume
C2=final concentrations ; V2= final volume
What are the ranges for the micropipettes?
P2: 0.5-2
P20: 2-20
P200: 20-2000
P1000: 200-1000
How do you calculate the volume of Water in a problem involving C1V1=C2V2?
Once the V1 is determined through using the formula, you subtract the V1 from the V2 value to find the volume of water.
How do you read the display of a P2?
You divide the entire thing by 100.
How do you read the display of a P20?
You divide the entire thing by 10.
How do you read the display of a P200?
You read it as it is; no multiplication or division is required.
How do you read the display of a P1000?
You multiply the entire thing by 10.
Define Genetic Information Transfer (GIT)
The process required to produce a protein or functional RNA using the information stored in genes.
How is the process of GIT started?
The process begins when a gene is turned on or expressed. The DNA is then transcribed into pre-mRNA using the enzyme RNA polymerase and the process of transcription.
How is pre-mRNA modified?
A guanine cap is added to the 5’ end and a poly A tail is added to the 3’ end.
Define Introns
A segment of DNA or RNA molecule which deos not code for proteins.
What are the coding and non-coding regions called respectively?
Non-Coding: Introns
Coding: Exons
NICE
What happens to introns and exons in the splicing process?
Introns are removed and exons are joined together.
Where does splicing occur?
In the spliceosome, a structure consisted of proteins and RNA.
What happens in the process of translation?
In the cytoplasm, mRNA meets up with the machine that will decode it and produce a string of amino acids. This machine is the ribosome and contains both proteins and rRNAs. The sequence of the mRNA is read in groups of three nucleotides (a codon) and the tRNA with the complementary sequence enters the ribosome. An amino acid is attached to the tRNA and the ribosomes transfer the amino acid to the growing protein. When the ribosome reaches a stop codon (UAG,UGA, UAA), the protein is released to perform its function and the mRNA can be transplanted again.
Why are control reactions important?
If the experiment does not work, the controls provide reasons why.
What are the two types of controls?
Positive-Negative
What should be seen with negative controls?
No result should be observed. If anything is observed in the negative control, it suggests that an error occurred during the experimental set-up or the reagents used were contaminated.
How are positive controls used?
They are used to confirm positively characterized results in a new sample or to confirm that all reagents were added properly.
What do all PCR reactions contain?
Enzymes- dNTPs- Water- Buffer. EDB-W
What are the variable reagents in the first experiment?
Primers
What is the function of primers?
The primers direct the polymerase to the region of DNA for copying. In the first experiment, the primers are intended to bind to the Actin Gene.
Define Transcription
The process by which a cell makes an RNA copy of a piece of DNA. This RNA copy, called mRNA, carries the genetic information needed to make proteins in a cell. It carries the information from the DNA in the nucleus of the cell to the cytoplasm, where proteins are made.
Define Translation
The process by which a cell makes proteins using the genetic information carried in the mRNA. The mRNA is made by copying DNA, and the information it carries tells the cell how to link the amino acids together to from proteins.
Define DNA
The molecules inside cells that carry genetic information and pass it from one generation to the next.
Define pre-mRNA
The first transcript from a protein coding gene is called pre-mRNA and contains both introns and exons. Pre-mRNA requires splicing (removal) of the introns to produce the final mRNA molecule containing only exons.
Define tRNA
A small molecule that plays a key role in the synthesis of proteins. It serves as a link between the mRNA and the growing chain of amino acids that make up a protein. Each time an amino acid is added to the chain, a specific tRNA pairs with its complementary sequence on the mRNA molecule, ensuring that the appropriate amino acid is inserted into the protein being synthesized.
Define Ribosome
An intercellular structure made up of both RNA and proteins which is the site of protein synthesis in a cell.
Define DNA Polymerase
A type on enzyme that is responsible for forming new copies of DNA, in the form of nucleic acids.
Define RNA Polymerase
An enzyme that is responsible for copying a DNA sequence into an RNA sequence, during the process of transcription.
In the most basic terms, what are the processes of Transcription and Translation? Which comes first?
Transcription comes first, then translation.
Transcription is the process of DNA turning into mRNA.
Translation is the process of mRNA turning into protein.
In which site of the cell are proteins manufactured?
Ribosomes
Define Enzymes
Proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions.
How is a gene defined in this class?
A region of DNA that codes for proteins.
What are genes consisted of?
Introns and Exons
What is removed during the splicing process?
Introns
What is going to be compared in the first experiment?
The cDNA and the gDNA of the Actin Gene
What technique is going to be relied on in order to determine the gene structure?
PCR
Can PCR work with a single stranded piece of DNA?
No
What are the 3 traits of DNA?
Variable-Dynamic-Heritable. VDH
One of the major changes in DNA are _____
Mutations