gene action: from dna to protein

Question 1

they are the blueprints of life

Answer 1

dna sequences
- instructions are coded in the sequence of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C), and thymine (T).

Question 2

what are the effects of dna and gene expression in simple terms

Answer 2

dna:
did not change

gene expression:
some become active, others become less active
due to its unique enviro in space

Question 3

what changed when the astronaut came back to earth as he stopped eating the packaged space food

Answer 3

his intestinal microbiome
- which is the collection of bacteria and other organisms in his gut

Question 4

what happened to the chromosomes’ telomeres in space and in earth

Answer 4

telomerase protect ends of chromosomes

in space: lengthened
in earth: return to normal

Question 5

it comprise one of the 3 major types of nutrients and are abundant in where

Answer 5

proteins
(meats, eggs and legumes)

Question 6

what happens when we consume proteins

Answer 6

digestive enzymes breakdown into amino acids - which are small enough to enter the bloodstream (through the interior lining of the small intestines)

Question 7

how many amino acids exist in the human body

Answer 7

500

Question 8

how does the amino acids from the bloodstream used to make new proteins

Answer 8

process is guided by RNA molecules transcribes from genes (DNA) guide their assembly into new protein molecules

[Imagine amino acids as building blocks. They get transported into cells, where RNA (which is like a set of instructions copied from DNA) acts as a blueprint. This blueprint tells the cell exactly how to connect these amino acid building blocks in the right order to create new proteins.]

Question 8

how many amino acids does the body build its proteins

Answer 8

20 only

9 essential - body cannot synthesize them, must’ve come from diet

6 conditionally essential - body can manufacture them except for certain circumstances (born prematurely & metabolic disease)

5 non essential - body can make them, so do not need to get them from diet

Question 9

what is the framework of the amino acid

Answer 9

central carbon that bonds
- amino grp NH2
- acid grp COOH
- hydrogen
- R group: distinguishes the amino acids

Question 10

how does the amino group of one amino acid attaches to the acid grp of another

Answer 10

peptide bond

Question 11

a protein consists of one or more long chains of amino acids

Answer 11

polypeptides

Question 12

shorter chains of amino acids

Answer 12

peptides

Question 13

a protein’s three dimensional shape

Answer 13

conformation

Question 14

what happens if there are no proteins in the body

Answer 14

blood couldnt clot
muscles couldnt contract
antibodies couldnt fight infection
we wld have no hair, skin or connective tissues

Question 15

can no longer walk because the motor neurons cannot manufacture gigaxonin protein

Answer 15

giant axonal neurotherapy

Question 16

why do people who have cystic fibrosis have respiratory and digestive problems

Answer 16

as ion channel proteins cannot fold properly

• if the body cant make certain proteins = serious health problems

Question 17

How do proteins link the information in our genes (genotype) to the traits we see and experience (phenotype)

Answer 17

produced based on instructions from our genes, and these proteins carry out functions that result in the traits we see (phenotype).
this process starts by copying a gene’s instructions into a usable form (RNA), which then guides the assembly of proteins in the body.

Question 18

what are the 2 important steps that cells go through to make proteins

Answer 18

transcription:
makes a copy of a gene’s instructions from DNA in the form of RNA
RNA is like a messenger that carries the genetic information out of the cell’s nucleus and into the cytoplasm

translation:
once the RNA is in the cytoplasm, the cell reads the instructions in the RNA to put together the right amino acids to build a protein
after the amino acids are linked, the protein folds into a three-dimensional shape, which is necessary for it to do its job in the body

Question 19

why do the process of transcription and translation happen continuously

Answer 19

as proteins are constantly being made to keep the body functioning and to give each cell its specific role

Question 20

it is the relationship between nucleic acids and proteins as a directional foe of information

Answer 20

central dogma
* Watson and Crick published their structure of DNA in 1953

Question 21

DNA vs RNA

Answer 21

index card

Question 22

the bases of an RNA sequence are complementary to those of one strand of the double helix

Answer 22

template strand

• the non template strand of the DNA double helix - coding strand

Question 23

this is an enzyme that builds RNA molecules

Answer 23

RNA polymerase

Question 24

what are the similarities between RNA and DNA

Answer 24

nucleic acids
consisting of sequences of nitrogen-containing base joined by sugar phosphate backbones `

Question 25

types of RNA (size)
function

Answer 25

mRNA, messenger (500 to 4,500)
encodes aa sequence

rRNA, ribosomal (100 - 3,000)
associates w proteins to form ribosomes, which structurally support and catalyze protein synthesis

tRNA, transfer (75 - 80)
transport specific aa to the ribosomes for protein synthesis