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Biotechnology - Mid > Lec1 | Nucleic Acids, Genes, and Chromosomes > Flashcards

Lec1 | Nucleic Acids, Genes, and Chromosomes Flashcards

1
Q

What does molecular biology study?

A

Cellular biochemical and molecular processes.

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2
Q

What are the building blocks of nucleic acids?

A

nucleotides.

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3
Q

What are the two functions of nucleic acids?

A
  • Storing and transmitting genetic information.
  • Regulating protein synthesis.
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4
Q

What are the two classes of nucleic acids?

A
  • Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
  • Ribonucleic acid (RNA).
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5
Q

What are the three components of a nucleotide?

A
  • A phosphate group.
  • A pentose sugar.
  • A nitrogenous base.
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6
Q

Describe the phosphate group of nucleotides in DNA and RNA.

A

The phosphate group is the same in both DNA and RNA.

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7
Q

What type of pentose sugar is present in DNA?

A

Deoxyribose.

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8
Q

What type of pentose sugar is present in RNA?

A

Ribose.

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9
Q

What is the difference between deoxyribose and ribose sugars?

A
  • 2’ carbon in ribose is -OH.
  • 2’ carbon in deoxyribose is -H.
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10
Q

What are the nitrogenous bases of DNA?

A

Adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine.

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11
Q

What are the nitrogenous bases of RNA?

A

adenine, guanine, cytosine, uracil.

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12
Q

What are the purines?

A

Double-ringed nitrogenous bases that include adenine and guanine.

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13
Q

What are the pyrimidines?

A

Single-ringed nitrogenous bases that include cytosine, thymine, and uracil.

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14
Q

What is the base that replaces thymine in RNA?

A

Uracil.

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15
Q

What is a nucleobase?

A

A nitrogenous base (C, U, T, A, G).

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16
Q

What is a nucleoside?

A

A nucleoside is a nitrogenous base (nucleobase) attached to a pentose sugar.

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17
Q

What is a nucleotide?

A

A nucleotide, in essence, is a nucleoside (a nitrogenous base attached to a pentose sugar), attached to a phosphate group.

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18
Q

How many strands make up DNA?

A

DNA is made up of two strands.

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19
Q

What does it mean for DNA strands to be “complimentary”?

A

That A pairs with T via 2 hydrogen bonds and C pairs with G via 3 hydrogen bonds.

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20
Q

What is the orientation of DNA strands relative to each other called?

A

Anti-parallel, which means that the two strands of DNA run in opposite directions relative to each other.

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21
Q

What chemical property of the strands in the double helix cause each DNA strand to be anti-parallel?

A

Each DNA strand is formed via deoxyribose and phosphate forming an antiparallel orientation and running 5 prime to 3 prime on one strand, 3 prime to 5 prime on its complementary stand.

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22
Q

What is directionality in a DNA strand referred to, in relation to chemical notation?

A

5’ → 3’ (5 prime to 3 prime).

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23
Q

How many strands make up RNA?

A

RNA is made up of one strand only.

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24
Q

What is the function of RNA?

A

RNA carries the genetic information contained within DNA (in the nucleus) to the cytoplasm to build proteins.

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25
Q

What is the only example of a protein-coding RNA?

A

mRNA.

26
Q

What is a gene?

A

A small section of DNA that contains the instructions for building proteins.

27
Q

How does the range of sizes for genes vary (use base pairs as units)?

A

Few 100 bps to >2 million bps.

28
Q

Approximately how many protein-coding genes do humans have, as estimated by the Human Genome Project?

A

20,687.

29
Q

Where are the genes located?

A

Genes are located inside the nucleus, part of a structure called chromosomes.

30
Q

Describe the main structural regions of a eukaryotic gene.

A

An upstream regulatory sequence, an open reading frame (ORF) with exons and introns, and a downstream regulatory sequence.

31
Q

What is the Open Reading Frame (ORF)?

A

The region of a gene containing exons and introns that can potentially be translated into a protein.

32
Q

What is an exon?

A

A protein-coding DNA sequence within a gene.

33
Q

What is an intron?

A

A noncoding segment of a gene that is removed during RNA processing.

34
Q

What approximate percentage of a gene sequence do introns comprise?

A

Over 98%.

35
Q

What approximate percentage of a gene sequence do exons comprise?

A

About 1.5%.

36
Q

What does the upstream regulatory sequence of a gene contain?

A

It contains the promoter region, and distal elements.

37
Q

What is the function of the promoter region within a gene?

A

Controls the expression of the gene.

38
Q

What is the main function of a 3’ Downstream Regulatory Sequence?

A

Regulates the termination of gene expression.

39
Q

What is a genome?

A

The name given to an organism’s full set of genes.

40
Q

How many base pairs (bp) are in the human genome?

A

3 billion base pairs.

41
Q

How many chromosomes does a human receive from each parent?

A

23 chromosomes.

42
Q

How many chromosomes do humans have in every autosomal cell?

A

46 chromosomes.

43
Q

What are the different forms that genes come in called?

A

Alleles.

44
Q

What is a locus (loci)?

A

The specific, fixed position on a chromosome where a particular gene or genetic marker is located.

45
Q

What is a paternal homologue?

A

The chromosome inherited from the father.

46
Q

What is a maternal homologue?

A

The chromosome inherited from the mother.

47
Q

How many alleles does an individual have for each gene?

A

Two, one on each homologous chromosome

48
Q

If an individual has two identical alleles what is this condition known as?

A

Homozygous.

49
Q

If the individual has two different alleles what is that condition known as?

A

Heterozygous.

50
Q

What is a karyotype?

A

A visual representation of an organism’s complete set of chromosomes, usually arranged in order of size.

51
Q

What are autosomes, and how are they numbered?

A

Non-sex chromosomes, numbered 1-22 in humans.

52
Q

What does it mean for autosomes to be “diploid”?

A

They exist in two copies.

53
Q

Which chromosomes are considered sex chromosomes?

A

X and Y chromosomes.

54
Q

What does it mean for sex chromosomes to be “haploid”?

A

They exist in one copy.

55
Q

How is DNA stored when not being replicated or transcribed, and where is it located?

A

It’s stored in thread-like structures called chromosomes, located inside the nucleus.

56
Q

Why does DNA use chromosomes, what function or benefit it has, to be organized in chromosomes during certain cellular stages?

A

Chromosomes offer protection for DNA, and facilitate its precise duplication during DNA replication, when it needs to be organized during the replication phase and not used in transcription phase of gene expression.

57
Q

Describe the ‘p arm’, the ‘q arm’, and the ‘centromere’ on a chromosome.

A

The ‘p arm’ is the shorter arm, the ‘q arm’ is the longer arm of a chromosome, both emanating from the ‘centromere,’ which is the central point of attachment.

58
Q

What are telomeres made of, in terms of DNA structure and length?

A

Telomeres are regions of non-coding repetitive DNA sequences at the end of a chromosome.

59
Q

What do Telomeres prevent in regards to cellular damage and activity?

A

They maintain the structural integrity of the chromosome and prevent attack by enzymes.

60
Q

How are telomeres beneficial to DNA repair mechanisms?

A

Telomeres allow repair systems to distinguish a true end of a dsDNA molecule from a break in it.

61
Q

What is happening to the telomere sequences over multiple generations of cell divisions

A

Telomeres shorten with cell division over time. Shortening telomeres signal to stop dividing (senescence).

62
Q
A

Biotechnology - Mid (11 decks)

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