Lecture 2 - Genes Flashcards
What are genes?
A segment of a DNA molecule
What unit is used to measure the length of a molecule of DNA?
Base pairs (bp)
What are exons?
Parts of a gene that contain information to make a protein
What are introns?
Non coding elements of a gene, contain information that isn’t needed to make a protein
How many introns and exons does that average human gene have?
8 introns
9 exons
What’s the mean length of an intron?
3365 bp
What’s the mean length of an exon?
145bp
What is gene expression?
The process of reading the information in a gene
What is the process of gene expression?
The gene is transcribed into RNA which is translated into a protein
What are the functional end products of gene expression?
Proteins and RNA
What are the different types of proteins?
Structural
Motor
Catalytic
Transport
Storage
Protective
Regulatory
Stupid Monkeys Can’t Taste Salty Pink Raisins
What are gene families?
A set of similar genes
What is a simple multi-gene family?
A family where all of the genes are the same
It happens with gene products that are needed in large numbers
What is a complex multi-gene family?
A gene family where the genes aren’t identical but have similar DNA sequences
Code for similar non-identical proteins
Gives proteins with slightly different functions which allows for increased organismal complexity
What are human globin genes?
They form two complex multi-gene families, alpha-globin and beta-globin
Haemoglobin genes are expressed at different stages in human development
