Lab Chapter 10: Bioinformatics

Question 1

The term “bioinformatics,” as it was originally conceived, was meant…

Answer 1

to describe the use of computer-assisted mathematical and statis-tical methods in assessing the sequential information contained in DNA and proteins

Question 2

Bioinformatics now means

Answer 2

virtually all computer applications in the biological sciences.

Question 3

Why are vaccines often ineffective against outbreaks of the “same” disease?

Answer 3

genetic mutations change structure of pathogen

Question 4

Thomas Hunt Morgan’s work with the sex-linked trait of eye color in Drosophila supported the theory that

Answer 4

genetic traits were transmitted by genes carried on chromosomes

Question 5

Erwin Chargaff’s work noted that

Answer 5

the ratio of purines to pyrimidines within DNA of all species was always 1:1.

Question 6

In the simplest written form, the Central Dogma states that

Answer 6

DNA carries the informa-tion to make more of itself (replication) and to make RNA (transcription). A particular type of RNA (messenger RNA) carries the information to make protein (translation).

Question 7

During transcription, free RNA nucleotides (A, U, G, and C) are aligned with complementary bases on the exposed DNA strand and temporarily ___ bond with these bases.

Answer 7

hydrogen

Question 8

The enzyme RNA polymerase creates the RNA “transcript” by

Answer 8

covalently adding nucleotides to the 3’ end of the growing chain.

Question 9

The production of a given polypeptide involves the information carried by a specific type of RNA known as

Answer 9

mRNA

Question 10

RNA is synthesized in the ___ direction by reading the DNA instructions in the ___ direction

Answer 10

synthesized 5’—3’
read 3’–5’

Question 11

a nucleoside is formed by

Answer 11

joining one of the five nitrogenous bases to the 1’ carbon of a pentose sugar, ribose or deoxyribose

Question 12

A nucleotide is formed by

Answer 12

attaching one or more phosphate groups to the 5’ carbon of a nucleoside.

Question 13

A dinucleotide, either DNA or RNA, is synthesized by forming

Answer 13

a phosphodiester bond between the 3’ carbon of one nucleotide and the phosphate group attached to the 5’ carbon of the next nucleotide.

Question 14

Polynucleotides are made by stepwise additions of nucleotides to the__ end of a grow-ing chain. Thus, nucleic acid strands have an orientation, with a ___ end and a ___ end

Answer 14

Polynucleotides are made by stepwise additions of nucleotides to the 3’ end of a grow-ing chain. Thus, nucleic acid strands have an orientation, with a 5’ end and a 3’ end

Question 15

An ORF can be thought of as

Answer 15

a stretch of DNA nucleotides that begins with a start codon, ends with a stop codon, and contains sufficient numbers of nucleotides in the intervening sequence to code for a polypeptide.

Question 16

West Nile virus (WNV) is transmitted to humans and other animals by

Answer 16

mosquitoes that have drawn blood from infected birds.

Question 17

Strains of WNV are tracked by

Answer 17

comparing the linear sequence of a polyprotein.

Question 18

The line entitled “Locus” gives

Answer 18

the protein’s designation (accession) number, the length of the polypeptide chain and the date of the latest version of the linear sequence.

Question 19

The line entitled “Definition” tells you that

Answer 19

this sequence of 3433 amino acids is actu-ally a precursor of many proteins.

Question 20

The line entitled “Organism” gives you

Answer 20

the characteristics and family of this particular virus.