Genetics Flashcards
Hemoglobin
a protein that is used to carry and transport oxygen in the blood
Insulin
a protein that is secreted by beta cells and used to regulate glucose (blood sugar levels in the body)
Linus Pauling
protein guy that came up with the structure of proteins. He determined the structure and interactions of all proteins and antibodies
Frederick Griffith
scientist to first discover DNA in the world of protein
Virulent
very strong strain and will cause disease
Principle of transformation
The principle that explains the ability of nonvirulent bacteria to become virulent.
Non Virulent
very weak strain and does cause disease
Oswald Avery
bacteriologist that identified DNA as the substance responsible for genetic transformation
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid, molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism.
RNA
Ribonucleic acid, RNA has a similar structure to DNA but with key differences: the sugar in RNA is ribose, which includes an extra oxygen atom compared to the deoxyribose in DNA. Additionally, RNA contains uracil instead of thymine. These distinctions enable RNA to move freely within the cell and play a crucial role in protein synthesis.
RNAses
Enzymes that break down RNA
DNAses
Enzymes that break down DNA
Erwin Chargaff
looked at the structure of DNA and discovered nucleic acids
Adenine
Purine that bonds to Thymine
Thymine
Pyrimidine that bonds to Adenine
Guanine
Purine that bonds to Cytosine
Cytosine
Pyrimidine that bonds to Guanine
Chargaff’s Rule
A-T and C-G always in DNA
Rosalind Franklin
Franklin’s graduate student, Raymond Gosling, captured the now-famous “Photo 51,” an X-ray diffraction image that revealed the helical structure of DNA.
Name some of the contributions of Linus Pauling
Came up with structure of proteins and covalent bonds
Discovered the structure of hemoglobin’s
Study the structure and interaction of proteins and antibodies
Created the basis for proteins
Explain Frederick Griffith’s experiment and how did it contribute to the discovery of DNA?
Griffith performed an experiment with bacteria and mice. He took a rough strain and a smooth strain of diseases. One was a virulent strain, which contains bacteria that causes disease and the other was a non-virulent strain, which doesn’t cause disease. In the first half of the experiment, Griffith used both strains and inserted them into two separate rats. One rat who received the non virulent strain survived, and the rat who received the virulent strain died. In the second half of the experiment, he added heat, when he added heat to both strains, it killed the bacteria within them, so when they were injected into the rats they survived. Then he combined both strains with heat and put them in the same rat, the rat survived. In the last portion of the experiment, Griffith took the non virulent strain and added heat to the virulent, when he put both strains into the rat, it died. The reason that this happened is because the DNA of the virulent strain jumped into the non-virulent and changed its genetic makeup turning the non virulent into the virulent, making it lethal which killed the rat.
How did Frederick Griffith contribute?
Heat denaturized proteins in virulent strand, and proved the existence of Nucleic Acids
Explain the principle of transformation of Frederick Griffith
Process by which genetic material from one organism is taken up by another organism, leading to a change in its characteristics.
Explain Oswald Avery’s experiment and how did it contribute to the discovery of DNA?
Had an experiment where he put rough strain into two test tubes. Then used DNAse (protein that eats DNA) and RNAse (protein that eats RNA). When He put the RNAse in it created more bacteria because DNA can always create more RNA. When he put the DNAse in, it destroyed the DNA, meaning no bacteria was created. Through this experiment he proved that DNA is the basis of all life.
Explain Chargaff’s rule and how did it contribute to the discovery of DNA?
A-T and C-G are always in DNA structure and showed the structural makeup of DNA
Explain what is wrong with this structure of DNA that Linus Pauling drew?
It has 3 helix’s and nucleic acids do not behave like proteins.
Explain Rosalind Franklin’s picture and its importance to the discovery of DNA.
The image taken above shows a clear x-shaped pattern which revealed that DNA has a double helix structure made of two intertwined strands. Provided evidence on how DNA is built and how it carries genetic information.
Nucleic acids
molecules found in cells that store and transmit genetic material. The two types are DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid). DNA holds the instructions for building and maintaining an organism, while RNA helps carry out those instructions.
Ribose
oxygen present sugar molecule
Nucleotides
are the basic building blocks of nucleic acids. Each nucleotide is made up of three parts: a molecule sugar, phosphate group and a nitrogenous base (adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine).
Deoxyribose
no oxygen present sugar molecule
DNA
molecule that is held together in an non covalent manner by van der waals bonds
RNA
nucleic acid that carries out the instructions of DNA by making proteins and regulating gene activity.
Uracil
in DNA, uracil replaces thymine.
Supercoiling
how DNA can coil positively or negatively. The coiling can possibly break the structure
different forms of DNA
B-DNA
A-DNA
Z-DNA
B-DNA
normal version
A-DNA
supercoiled; clockwise
Z-DNA
messed up, more flat; counterclockwise
DS
Double stranded
Hairpin
protects the structure of RNA
SS
Single Stranded
Why are ATP and GTP not nucleotides?
ATP and GTP have nothing to do with DNA. They have too many phosphates and have everything to do with the formation of energy.
What is the function of phosphate in nucleic acids?
Portion of the DNA that provides structural support to the molecule.
List three differences between RNA and DNA.
DNA:
Deoxyribose
Two Helix
Numerous type of DNA
RNA
Ribose
One Helix
One type of RNA
Explain the antiparallel structure of DNA.
The antiparallel structure of DNA refers to the orientation of its two complementary strands, which run in opposite directions. Each strand of the DNA double helix has a directionality defined by its sugar-phosphate backbone, with one strand running from the 5’ (five-prime) end to the 3’ (three-prime) end, while the other runs in the reverse direction from 3’ to 5’.
Adenine will always pair up with?
Thymine in DNA and Uracil in RNA
Three different types of RNA
RNA Sequence (level 1)
RNA secondary structure (level 2)
RNA tertiary structure (level 3)
What does it mean RNA can form Hairpins and why?
an unpaired loop of messenger RNA (mRNA) that is created when an mRNA strand folds and forms base pairs with another section of the same strand.
What are the structures RNA can form?
RNA Sequence
RNA secondary structure
RNA tertiary structure
Hairpins are what level
level 2
Replication
process by which the genome’s DNA is copied in cells.
Polymerase
enzyme that is used to put together (writer)
Exonuclease
pulls nucleotides out of the structure of DNA (editor)
DNA Polymerase
enzymes that make the covalent bonds between the nucleotides (monomers) to form a new DNA strand (making a huge polymer).
DNA pol III
polymerase that is first (writer) and elongates primers (epsilon)
Topoisomerase
relaxes the DNA structure to give other proteins access
Ligase
glues backbone of new DNA strand together
DNA pol I
degrades the primers and fills the gaps of new strand (editor of DNA)
Leading strand
can be continuously built in the direction of the replication fork because the new strand is already in the 5’ to 3’ orientation.
Primase
enzyme that adds primers (first pieces of nucleotides that signals DNA polymerase where to land, DNA pol III)
Helicase
Breaks DNA into two halves (strands) for replication
Lagging strand
must be built in repetitive segments in the opposite direction of the replication fork because of the strand orientation.