INHERITANCE< VARIATION< EVOLUTION Flashcards
what is dna
the chemical that genetic material in a cell is made from
what does dna contain
coded information
what 2 things does dna determine
-what inherited charecteristics you have
-what protiens a cell produces
where is dna found
in chromosomes (in the nucleus)
describe briefly structure of dna
a polymer made of two strands forming a double helix
what are chromosomes
really long strands of dna
what is a gene
a small section of dna on a chromosome
what does each gene ( small section of dna on a chromosome) do
-codes for (tells the cell to make) a particular sequence of amino acids to make a specific protien
(+tells the cells what order to put the amino acids together)
how many amino acids are used
20 amino acids used ( they make up thousands of different protiens)
dna determines what protiens a cell produces. this then determines what….
what type of cell it is
what is genome
the entire set of genetic material of that organism
scientists have worked out the complete human genome- why is understanding the human genome important in medicine and in general x3
-scientists can search for genes in the genome that link to different types of disease
-knowing which genes are linked to inherited diseases help us understand them better and help develop effective treatments
-to trace human migration patterns from the past track ancestry)
Scientists investigate genomes to track human migration patterns from the past.how x3
-humans descend from a common ancestor
-they developed tiny differences in their genome
-investigating the differences help us work out when new populations split from others and the direction they took
dna strands are….
polymers made up of lots of repeating units called nuleotides
a nucleotide consists of..
a common sugar and phosphate group with 1 of 4 different bases attached to the sugar
what do the sugar and phosphate groups in the nucleotide form
a backbone to the dna strand
what is complementary base pairing
A pairs with T
C pairs with G
what does the order of bases in a gene control
the order in which amino acids are assembled to produce a particular protien
(the order of amino acids in a protien)
a sequence of three bases in a gene codes for ……
a particular amino acid
how are protiens formed
what doesthe type of protien fromed depend on
the amino acids join together
the order of the genes bases
long strands of dna consist of ….
alternating sugar and phosphate sections, 1 of 4 bases attached to each sugar
what do the non coding parts of dna (parts that don’t code for protiens) do
switch genes on and off- control if a gene is expressed (used to make a protien)
where are protiens syntheised
protiens are synthesised according to….
(in cytoplasm), on ribosomes, according to a template
what do ribosomes use to make proteins, what is an issue with this
-ribosomes use the code in the dna
-dna cant move out the very large nucleus
-cell needs to get code from dna to ribosomes
what is used to get the code from dna to the ribosome?
how is this made
mRNA molecule
made by copying the code from dna
what does mRNA do
carries the a copy of code from DNA to the ribosome- acts as a messenger
what do carrier molecules do
bring specific amino acids to ribosomes in the correct order
what happens when a protien chain (chain of amino acids) is complete
it folds into a unique shape enables/allows the protien to do its job
three examples of protiens and what they do
enzymes- act as biological catalysts to speed up chemical reactions
hormones-carry messages around body
structural protiens- physically strong
what is a mutation of a gene
a random change in an organisms dna
how often does mutation occur
mutation occurs continuously
can sometimes occur spontaneously
the chance of a mutation is increased by…..
exposure to certain substances/types of radiation
what do mutations do
what is formed
mutations change the sequence of DNA bases in a gene
a genetic variant is formed (a different form of the gene)
what do the sequence of DNA bases code for
the sequence of amino acids that make up the protien
describe the effect of most mutations on a protien
no effect on the protien
or
alter protien slightly so appearance and function stay the same
a few mutations code for …..
an altered protien with a different shape - this would affect the protiens ability to function
give an 2 examples of when a mutation has altered the protien
an enzyme may not fit the substrate binding site because the shape of active site is changed
structural protiens lose their strength- useless at providing structure and support
what happens if there is a mutation in a non coding part of dna
the way genes are expressed are altered- cell may produce a protien its not meant to have at that time
3 ways mutations can change the dna base sequence
insertions
substitutions
deletions
what happens in insertion
new base inserted into dna base sequence where it shouldnt be
what do insertions do
have a knock on effect.
change the way the groups of three bases are read, changing the amino acids they code for
what happens in deletions
random base deleted from dna base sequence
what happens in substitutions
random base changed to different base
describe what mutations do and the effect they have
change the sequence of bases in DNA
this affects the amino acid sequence
and therefore the protien coded for
why might the function of a protien be affected by gene mutation
4 points
-mutations change the dna base sequence
-this can change the amino acids that the bases code for
-this can change the shape of the protien the amino acids make up
-this can affect its function
describe the process of mRNA carrying code to the ribosomes
7 points
protiens are made on ribosomes
ribosomes use the code in the dna to make protiens
dna cant move out of the big nucleus
mRNA is made by copying the code from DNA
it carries the code from dna to ribosomes
the correct amino acids are brought to the ribosomes in correct order by carrier molecules
what is sexual reproduction
genetic info from 2 organisms is combined
produce offspring that are genetically different
4 examples of gametes
sperm and egg
pollen and egg cells in flowering plants
what process are gemetes made from
meiosis
how many chromosomes do human gametes have
23
(instead of having 2 of each chromosome, they have 1)
sexual reproduction involves-
the fusion of male and female gametes