Lecture 1

Question 1

What is a mutation?

Answer 1

Mutations are a heritable change to the sequence of a DNA molecule, including those which don’t affect phenotype.

Question 2

What can mutations help/effect us with?

Answer 2

Mutations generate genetic diversity (main tool of evolution), and give key insights into how genes and their products work. They also lead to cancer and other diseases, can result in resistance to antibiotics and can give animals, plants, microbes etc with improved commercial properties.

Question 3

Why should we study microorganism genetics?

Answer 3

microbes allow genetic screens not possible with higher eukaryotes and the mechanisms and nature of mutation are effectively the same in microorganisms as in higher eukaryotes.

Question 4

What did George Beadle and Edward Tatums research show?

Answer 4

One gene one enzyme.