Kaplan Biochem Ch 4 Flashcards
stop codon
- UGA (U Go Away)
- UAA (U Are Away)
- UAG (U Are Gone)
start codon; what does it code for?
AUG; codes for methionine
- protein synthesis starts with methionine in eukaryotes and fmet (formylmethionine) in prokaryotes
- therefore the first AA at the amino end (N end) is always Met
How many codons are there?
There are 64 codons, 61 code for AA; so there are 61 tRNAs
most common inherited form of mental retardation
fragile X
Diseases caused by trinucleotide Repeat Expansion
- myotonic dystrophy
- spinobulbar myotonic atrophy aka kennedy syndrome
- Friedrich’s ataxia
A transition mutation
- a point mutation that replaces a purine-pyrimidine base pair with a different purine-pyrimidine base pair.
- ex) an A-T base pair becomes a G-C base pair
silent mutation and effect on protein
- new codon specifies the same amino acid –> no effect on protein
- silent mutation usually in 3rd position: “Wobble effect”
- if you mutate the 3rd nucleic acid in a codon it’s usually a silent mutation
missense mutation and effect on protein and examples
- new codon specifies different amino acid
- effect on protein: possible decrease in function of protein; variable effects
- ex) sickle cell, PKU, Becker’s MD
a transversion mutation
- a point mutation that replaces a purine-pyrimidine base pair with a pyrimidine-purine base pair
- ex) an A-T base pair becomes a T-A or C-G base pair
Nonsense mutation and effect on protein and examples
- new codon is stop codon
- effect on protein: shorter than normal; usually nonfunctional
- ex) DMD (dystrophin), Hemophilia (Factor VIII)
- “Stop the nonsense”
frameshift/in-frame mutation and effect on protein
- addition or deleting of base(s)
- effect on protein: loss of function; shorter than normal or entirely missing
large segment deletion
- cause
- effect on protein
- usually occurs via unequal crossover in meiosis
- effect on protein: variable effects ranging from addition or deletion of a few AA to deletion of an entire exon
triplet repeat expansion
- Expansions in coding regions cause protein product to be longer than normal and unstable
- disease often shows anticipation in pedigree (disease gets worse with each generation)
What will the first 3 AA be in the coding strand?
Coding strand = DNA copy of mRNA except U = T.
- So AUG = start codon –> first 3 AA in DNA will be ATG
purpose of meiosis I
- crossover or recombination between homologous chromosomes is a normal part of meiosis I that generate genetic diversity in reproductive cells (sperm and eggs) with a largely beneficial result.
- normally, homologous maternal and paternal chromosomes exchange equivalent segments so no information is lost from ether one
cause and consequence of alpha-thallasemia
- unequal crossover (in meiosis I) has deleted one or more alpha-globin genes from chromosome 16
Cri-du-chat
- symptoms
- cause
- mental retardation, microcephaly, wide-set eyes, and characteristic kitten-like cry
- results from terminal deletion on the short arm of chromosome 5 (results from unequal crossover in meiosis I)
symptoms of hunting tons
- genetic inheritance
- mean age of onset
- juvenile onset
- AD disorder
- mean age of onset: 43-48
- Sx: mood disturbance, impaired memory, hyperreflexia (are often first signs)
- followed by abnormal gait, chorea (loss of motor control), dystonia, dementia, and dysphagia
- juvenile onset: (
diseases where the expansion of the trinucleotide repeat of the mutant allele is in the coding region
- huntington’s disease
- spinobulbar muscular atrophy
Normal huntington allele has
5 tandom repeats of CAG in the coding region
family members affected with Huntington’s have
30-60 CAG tandem repeats in the coding region
Normal protein vs someone who has Huntington’s
- The normal protein contains 5 adjacent glutamine residues, whereas the proteins encoded by the disease-associated alleles have 30 or more adjacent glutamates
- the long glutamine tract makes the abnormal proteins extremely unstable
diseases where the expansion of the trinucleotide repeat of the mutant allele is in an untranslated region of the gene
- fragile x
- myotonic dystrophy
Amino Acid Activation
- each type of AA is activated by a different aminoacyl tRNA syntheses
- no proofreading during translation to detect if correct AA is bound to correct tRNA
- 2 high-energy bonds from an ATP are required
- the high-energy bond linking the AA to its cognate tRNA will later supply energy to make a peptide bond linking the AA into a protein