Introduction, evolution and genomes Flashcards
Who presented the 1909 tetranucleotide theory?
Phoebus Levene
What did Phoebus Levene show in 1930?
showed that each building block of DNA is a nucleotide
Which carbon is deoxygenated on deoxyribose?
C 2 prime
Purine bases?
Adenine and Guanine
Pyrimidine bases?
Thymine and Cytosine
What is a nucleoside?
Base and the sugar
Where is the glycosidic bond in a purine nucleoside?
C-1’ and N9
Where is the glycosidic bond in pyrimidine nucleoside?
C-1’ and N1
Nucleoside + Phosphate group?
Nucleotide
Where are the ester links found in a nucleotide?
sugar C-5’ and phosphate
Why is C-5’ phosphorylated in a nucleotide?
Provides the genetic information with directionality so it can be read
How to name a nucleotide?
2’ -deoxy(base)- 5’(mono/di/tri)phosphate
e.g. 2’ -deoxyadenosine-5’ triphosphate (dATP)
What does the phosphodiester bond link?
Links 3’C of one nucleotide to 5’C of next nucleotide
Why is it important for the phosphodiester bonds to link 3’C and 5’C?
For the DNA molecule to have polarity and directionality
What is found at the 5’ end of the DNA chain?
Phosphate group
What is found at the 3’ end of the DNA chain?
Hydroxyl group
What is included in the phosphodiester bond?
Phosphate group and 2 ester links joining the 5’C and 3’C on the sugars
In which direction is DNA made?
from 5’ to 3’ end
What was the tetranucleotide model? (1930)
4 nucleotides in a ring with the bases pointing outwards
Conclusion of the tetranucleotide model?
DNA was simple and repetitive and could not be genetic material
Levene’s nucleotide ratio prediction?
T = A = G = C (25% each)
What is the basis of Chargaff’s rules?
T = A and G = C
Who discovered x-ray crystallography?
Linus Pauling - discovered protein alpha helix in 1951
How does X-ray crystallography work?
X-ray shot at crystallised molecules, rays are diffracted and reflected in photographic film - reflections form patterns and we can use trig to identify the distance between the crystallised molecules + the molecule
What is a single slit diffraction pattern?
When is wider within opaque board, multiple waves of propagated light, causing more patterns to appear on the film
ONLY ONE SLIT
What do 2 slits in the opaque board do with the reflection pattern on the film?
Diffraction patterns interfere - resulting in a complex double slit interference pattern (multiple blobs)
What does diffraction grating do? (Using a grid with more slits)
Produces a sharper image, reducing the intermediate peaks - easier to calculate how far apart the slits are (if light wavelength is known)
Why do reflections from a helix form a cross?
Helix similar to using an angled grid, which produces a crossed image.
When was photo 51 produced?
1952 by Rosalind Franklin
What did photo 51 show?
A cross was produced - meaning that DNA must be helical (helical objects produce crosses by diffraction)
Features of B-DNA?
Right-handed helix, most structurally stable form physiologically
Features of A-DNA?
right-handed helix, only in low hydration conditions, no physiological equivalent
Features of Z-DNA?
left-handed, found physiologically, stretches of alternating pyrimidines and purines
Why was Linus Pauling’s model rejected?
Bases pointed outwards and phosphate groups faced inwards. Phosphates would repel each other = destabilise molecule
Key ideas of Watson and Crick model?
Specific pyrimidine + purine pairing (A/T and G/C), antiparallel strands - all clicked together
6 features of Watson and Crick model?
Right-handed double helix, antiparallel nucleotide chains (one reads 5’-3’, other 3’-5’), Sugar-phosphate backbone + bases face inwards, C+G and A+T form weak hydrogen bonds, B-DNA 10.5 base pairs per turn each turn 3.6nm and base pairs 0.34nm apart, contain major and minor grooves
Why does DNA have major and minor grooves?
sequence-specific DNA-binding proteins interact with major grooves (backbones get in the way of the space in minor grooves) - don’t interact with minor grooves