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BMS1062 > Introduction to Molecular Biology > Flashcards

Introduction to Molecular Biology Flashcards

1
Q

What is adenine?

A

One of the five nitrogenous bases of nuclei acids that is a purine that pairs with thymine in DNA and uracil in RNA

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2
Q

What are amino acids?

A

An organic molecule containing both an amine group and a carboxyl group. Those that serve as building blocks of proteins are alpha amino acids, having both the amino and carboxyl groups linked to the same carbon atom

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3
Q

What is annealing?

A

When complementary sequences of single-stranded DNA or RNA pair by hydrogen bonds to form a double-stranded polynucleotide

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4
Q

What is anti-parallel?

A

When two biopolymers run next to each other but with opposite alignments

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5
Q

What is archaea?

A

One of the three domains of life that share similarities with both bacteria and eukaryotes

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6
Q

What is ATP?

A

Adenosine triphosphate: a nucleoside triphosphate composed of adenine, ribose and three phosphate groups. The principle carrier of chemical energy in cells. The terminal phosphate groups are highly reactive in the sense that their hydrolysis, or transfer to another molecule, takes place with the release of a large amount of energy

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7
Q

What are bacteria?

A

A large subgroup of unicellular microorganisms that makes up one of the three domains of life

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8
Q

What is a catalyst?

A

A substance that increases the rate of a chemical reaction by lowering the activation energy of the reaction without itself undergoing any permanent chemical change

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9
Q

What is chromatin?

A

A complex of DNA, histones, and non-histone proteins found in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell. The material of which chromosomes are made

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10
Q

What is a chromosome?

A

A structure composed of a very long DNA molecule and associated proteins that carries part (or all) of the hereditary information of an organism. Especially evident in plant and animal cells undergoing mitosis or meiosis, during which each chromosome becomes condensed into a compact rodlike structure visible under the light microscope

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11
Q

What is cytosine?

A

One of the four bases of nucleic acids that is a pyrimidine that pairs with guanine in double stranded DNA

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12
Q

What does denatured mean?

A

To destroy the characteristic properties of a biological macromolecule by heat, acidity, or other effects that disrupt molecular conformation

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13
Q

What is deoxyribose?

A

A sugar derived from ribose that forms that backbone of DNA (along with phosphate)

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14
Q

What are dispersion forces?

A

A temporary attractive force that results when the electrons in two adjacent atoms occupy positions that make the atoms forms temporary dipoles

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15
Q

What is divergence?

A

The process in which two or more populations of an asncestral species accumulate independent mutations through time, often after the populations have become reproductively isolated for some time

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16
Q

What is DNA?

A

Deoxyribonucleic acid: a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes

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17
Q

What is DNA replication?

A

The process by which a double-stranded DNA molecule is copied to produce two identical DNA molecules

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18
Q

What is a domain?

A

A classification of organisms made up of three categories: archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes

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19
Q

What is dsDNA?

A

Double-stranded DNA

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20
Q

What is duplication?

A

A mechanism through which new genetic material is duplicated in a region of DNA that contains a gene

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21
Q

What is E. Coli?

A

A bacterium commonly found in the intestines of humans and other animals, where it usually causes no harm. Some strains cause severe food poisoning, especially in old people and children

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22
Q

What is electrostatic attraction?

A

The attractive force between two particles of opposite charges

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23
Q

What is a eukaryote?

A

A domain of organisms consisting of a cell or cells in which the genetic material is DNA in the form of chromosomes contained within a distinct nucleus

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24
Q

What is an exon?

A

A segment of a eukaryotic gene that consists of a sequence of nucleotides that will be represented in mRNA or in a final transfer, ribosomal, or other mature RNA molecule. In protein-coding genes, exon encode the amino acids in the protein. An exon is usually adjacent to a noncoding DNA segment called an intron

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25
Q

What are fatty acids?

A

Long-chained hydrocarbons with a carboxyl group that acts as the building blocks for larger lipid molecules

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26
Q

What is free energy?

A

The amount of energy in a system able to be utilised for a chemical reaction

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27
Q

What is a gene?

A

A distinct sequence of nucleotides forming part of a chromosome, the orders for which determines the order of monomers in a polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule which a cell may synthesise

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28
Q

What is guanine?

A

One of the four bases of nucleic acids that is a purine that pairs with cytosine

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29
Q

What are homologies?

A

The state of having the same or similar relation between organisms due to genes

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30
Q

What is hybridisation?

A

In molecular biology, the process whereby two complementary nucleic acid strands forms a base-pair duplex DNA-DNA, DNA-RNA, or RNA-DNA molecule. Forms the basis of a powerful technique for detecting specific nucleotide sequences

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31
Q

What are hydrogen bonds?

A

A weak bond that forms between two molecules resulting from electrostatic attraction between a proton in one molecule and a highly electronegative atom in the other (FON)

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32
Q

What are hydrophobic interactions?

A

The force exerted by the hydrogen-bonded network of water molecules that brings two non-polar surfaces together by excluding water between them

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33
Q

What is an intron?

A

A non-coding region of a eukaryotic gene that is transcribed into a pre-mRNA molecule but is then excised by RNA splicing during the production of the mRNA or other functional RNA

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34
Q

What does lithotrophic mean?

A

A group of organisms that use inorganic substance to obtain energy for metabolism

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35
Q

What is mechanical shearing?

A

Physically tearing apart unusually long DNA molecules

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36
Q

What is metabolism?

A

Combined set of anabolic and catabolic process that occur in a living organism in order to maintain life

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37
Q

What are monomers?

A

A molecule that can be bonded to other similar or identical molecules to form a larger molecule known as a polymer

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38
Q

What are monosaccharides?

A

The most basic form of carbohydrates. They can be combined by condensation reaction to form polysaccharides

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39
Q

What is mRNA?

A

A type of RNA molecule that specifies the amino acid sequence of a protein. Produced in eukaryotes by processing of an RNA molecule made by RNA polymerase as a complimentary copy of DNA. It is translated into protein in a process catalysed by ribosomes

40
Q

What is a mutation?

A

The changing of a structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form that may be transmitted to subsequent generations, caused by the alteration of single base units in DNA, or the deletion, insertion or rearrangement of larger sections of genes or chromosomes

41
Q

What is non-coding DNA?

A

Components of an organisms DNA that do not encode protein sequences

42
Q

What is a nucleoside?

A

A compound commonly found in DNA or RNA, consisting of a purine or pyrimidine base linked to sugar

43
Q

What is a nucleotide?

A

A compound consisting of a nucleoside linked to a phosphate group. Nucleotides form the basic structural unit of nucleic acids such as DNA

44
Q

What is an operon?

L

A

A unit made up of linked genes that is thought to regulate other genes responsible for protein synthesis

45
Q

What does organotrophic mean?

A

A type of organism that obtains its energy through ingesting other living things or the chemicals they produce

46
Q

What is a phsophodiester bond?

A

A chemical bond of the kind joining successive sugar molecules in a polynucleotide

47
Q

What is a phototroph?

A

A type of organism that obtains its energy through converting light energy into chemical energy through a process known as photosynthesis

48
Q

What is a plasma membrane?

A

A barrier made up of lipids and proteins that forms the external boundary of the cytoplasm of a cell or encloses a vacuole, and that regulates the passage of molecules in and out of the cytoplasm

49
Q

What is a polymer?

A

A substance made up of a large number of similar units bonded together

50
Q

What is a polysaccharide?

A

A carbohydrate whose molecules consist of a number of sugar molecules bonded together

51
Q

What is a probe?

A

A technique for identifying a segment of DNA, using a known sequence of nucleotide bases from a DNA strand to detect a complementary sequence in the sample by means of base pairing

52
Q

What is a progeny?

A

The cells produced as a result of cellular replication

53
Q

What are prokaryotes?

A

A single-celled organism that has neither a distinct nucleus with a membrane nor other specialised organelles

54
Q

What is a protein?

A

A class of organic compound that consists of large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids and are an essential part of all living organisms

55
Q

What is protein synthesis?

A

The assembly of specific proteins as directed by DNA sequences

56
Q

What are purines?

A

A double-ringed aromatic compound. Adenine and guanine are important purines that make up the structure of DNA

57
Q

What are pyrimidines?

A

A single-ringed aromatic compound. Thymine and cytosine are important pyrimidines that make up the structure of DNA

58
Q

What does renatured mean?

A

To restore a denatured biomacromolecule to an original or normal conditions

59
Q

What is RNA?

A

Ribonucleic acid: a nucleic acid present in all living cells. It’s principal role is to act as a messenger carrying instructions from DNA for controlling the synthesis of proteins, although some viruses use RNA rather than DNA to store their genetic information

60
Q

What is RNA polymerase?

A

An enzyme that calluses the synthesis of an RNA molecule on a DNA template from ribonucleic triphosphate precursors

61
Q

What is rRNA?

A

Any one of a number of specific RNA molecules that form part of the structure of a ribosome and participate in the synthesis of proteins. Often distinguished by their sedimentation coefficient

62
Q

What is ssDNA?

A

Single-stranded DNA

63
Q

What is a template strand?

A

A single strand of DNA or RNA whose nucleotide sequence acts as a guide for the synthesis of a complementary strand

64
Q

What is thymine?

A

One of the four bases of nucleic acids that is a pyrimidine that binds with adenine in double stranded DNA. Thymine is not found in RNA

65
Q

What is transcription?

A

The process by which the information in a strand of DNA is copied into a new molecule of mRNA

66
Q

What is translation?

A

The process by which ribosomes create polypeptide chains using the information encoded in mRNA as a blueprint

67
Q

What is tRNA?

A

A set of small RNA molecules used in protein synthesis as an interface (adapter) between mRNA and amino acids. Each type of tRNA molecule is covalently bonded to a particular amino acid

68
Q

What is uracil?

A

A compound found in living tissue as a constituent base of RNA. In DNA it’s place is taken by thymine

69
Q

What are the universal features in all cells?

A
  1. Hereditary information is stored in DNA
  2. DNA is replicated by template-directed polymerisation
  3. Sections of the DNA are transcribed into the same intermediary form (RNA)
  4. Proteins compose cellular machinery
  5. Proteins are produced by translation of RNA
  6. Basic mechanism of translation (protein synthesis) is the same
70
Q

A segment of DNA that can produce a functional product (RNA or protein) is known as a…

A

Gene

71
Q

True or False: Only one strand serves as a template, but it may be a different one for different genes

A

True

72
Q

True or False: A single prokaryotic mRNA often only contains the instructions for one protein

A

False: A single prokaryotic mRNA often contains the instructions for several different proteins (polycistronic)

73
Q

Which human cell(s) cannot produce proteins and why?

A

Mature red blood cells - the do not have a nucleus and therefore cannot produce mRNA to be translated into protein

74
Q

What are the monomers of nucleic acids called?

A

Nucleotides

75
Q

What are nucleotides made up of?

A

Sugar (RNA-ribose, DNA-deoxyribose)
Phosphate group(s)
Nitrogenous base

76
Q

What is the name of the bond that connects two adjacent nucleotides?

A

Phosphodiester bond

77
Q

What is the name of the bond that connects two opposite nucleotides

A

Hydrogen bond

78
Q

To which end are nucleotides added?

A

Nucleotides are added to the 3’ end of the DNA strand

79
Q

What functional group is found at the 3’ end?

A

-OH group

80
Q

What is found at the 5’ end?

A

Phosphate group

81
Q

Are nitrogen bases hydrophobic or hydrophillic?

A

Hydrophibic - responsible for the double-helix form

82
Q

Between which two bases does three hydrogen binds form?

A

Cytosine and guanine

83
Q

How many bases are there per turn of the DNA?

A

10-10.5

84
Q

Where are chromosomes found (usually)?

A

In the nucleus

85
Q

What are the three main types of RNA?

A

tRNA (transfer)
mRNA (messenger)
rRNA (ribosomal)

86
Q

Which stuctural feactures of DNA determine its physical properties?

A 
Double stranded helix
Complementary base pairing
Hydrogen binding
Length/diameter
Acidity (phosphate group)
87
Q

Which properties of DNA allow it to be studied?

A 
Solubility
Viscosity
UV Absorption
Denaturation
Stability
88
Q

Why is DNA soluble in aqueous conditions?

A

The high negative charge of the phosphate groups makes it soluble

89
Q

Is DNA soluble in alcohol? Why/why not?

A

No - alcohol is a non-polar solvent and DNA is charged

90
Q

How is DNA viscosity decreased?

A

Disruption of hydrogen bonding - one method is mechanical shearing

91
Q

Which part of a nucleotide absorbs UV light?

A

Nitrogenous bases

92
Q

True or False: dsDNA absorbs more UV light that ssDNA?

A

False - the double helix stucture of dsDNA shields the bases, so ssDNA can absorb more

93
Q

What are probes used for?

A

Probes are labelled DNA or RNA fragments that are used to detect specific nucleic acid sequences by hybridisation

94
Q

What is DNA melting temperature dependent on?

A

The size of the molecule
Its GC content
The pH and ionic strength

95
Q

Does melting temperature increase of decrease as the size of the strand increases?

A

Increase

96
Q

Does the melting temperature of the DNA increase or decreases as GC content increases? Why?

A

Increase - GC have three hydrogen bonds and therefore require more energy to break

BMS1062 (9 decks)

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