Gene Structure Flashcards
Bacterial genomes
- organised into operons with similar genes grouped
- distinct boundaries and regulation
- highly evolved
- economical/efficient
Eukaryotic genomes
- low numbers of protein coding genes
- non coding repeats made up 50% of genome
- small genes hard to locate
- gene density surprisingly low (introns, repeat regions)
- functional RNAs common
- uneven gene distribution with gene rich and gene desert regions
Chromosome Structure
- two sister chromatids held by a centromere
Other DNA
- B chromosomes: extra chromosomes to standard complement
- holocentric chromosomes: entire chromosome is a centromere
- extrachromosomal DNA: plasmids/organelle DNA
Organelle Genomes
- mitochondrial DNA: covalently closed circular DNA
- chloroplast DNA: single closed circular DNA
- photosynthesis genes
Genome Sectios
- unique and repeat regions
- 62% of genome is an intergenic region between genes (transposons, LINEs, SINEs, LTR elements
Repeated Intergenic Regions
- differs in GC content
- may have structural role (like telomeres)
- tandemly repeated DNA
- interspersed repeats (genome-wide repeats)
Satellite DNA
Satellite DNA (satDNA) is the highly repetitive DNA consisting of short sequences repeated a large number of times. It carries a variable AT-rich repeat unit - a and B satellite family
Tandemly Repeated DNA
- much shorter than satellite DNA
- minisatellites
- associated with structural features
- 10-100 bp
- microsatellites
- simple tandem repeats
- telomeres or dinucleotide repeats
- less than 13 bp
Satellite Formation
Replication slippage: daughter strand slips back 1 repeating unit
Tandemly repeated DNA: DNA recombination and unequal crossing over
Variable Number Tandem Repeats: used in identificatoin
Interspersed Repeats
- genome wide repeats (more than 100 bp)
- moderately repetitive
- transposon derived repeats: SINE, LINE, DNA transposons, LTR retrotransposons
DNA Transposon
- target DNA cut by transposases
- intermediate DNA inserted and ligated into sequence
- flanked by direct repeats
Maize Transposon
- excision of TE in somatic cells leads to pigment gene
- small spots: late excision
- large spot: excision early in development
- no excision autonomous element not in genome
- revertant: element excised and full expression restored
LINEs
long interspersed nuclear elements
- RNA transcribed and inserted back into genome at new site
- ORF1: RNA binding protein
- ORF2: reverse transcriptase
SINEs
short interspersed nuclear elements
- high copy number
- no genes
- transcribed by RNAPIII
- borrows transcriptase synthesized by LINEs
eg. Alu family
Retrovirus Related Sequences
LTR Retrotransposons
Human endogenous retrovirus
Purpose of Repeats
- metabolic burden
- rate of propagation must counteract rate of elimination
- maintenance suggests value
- nearly all genome is transcribed
- could cause evolutionary change
- could just be yet to be eliminated
How a genome acquires new genes
- horizontal gene transfer
- exon shuffling
- duplication
Benefits of Duplication
- new copy can acquire a new function due to selective pressure advantage