Lecture 5 Flashcards
what is the molecular definition of a gene?
a specific sequence of DNA used to make RNA or protein
what are the two types of genes?
- protein-coding genes
- non-coding RNA genes
what are protein-coding genes?
genes that get transcribed into RNA then translated into proteins
what are non-coding RNA genes?
genes that are transcribed into RNA but remain so and are not translated into proteins
what is the amount of protein like when a small amount of RNA is transcribed?
a small amount of proteins are made
what is the amount of protein like when a lot of RNA is transcribed?
there are a lot of proteins
what does RNA polymerase make?
RNA
which direction does RNA polymerase add nucleotides?
in the 5’ to 3’ direction
what are the building blocks of ribonucleoside triphosphates?
ATP, UTP, CTP, GTP
What is ssDNA?
a single strand of DNA
does the coding strand use uracil or thymine?
uracil
what are RNA nucleotides linked by?
phosphodiester bonds
What is the DNA-RNA helix hybrid held together by in terms of bases?
through base pairing
what are the three main steps of the transcription cycle?
- initiation
- elongation
- termination
describe the initiation step of the transcription cycle.
sigma factors bind to RNA polymerase to help it locate the promoter sequence
describe the elongation step of the transcription cycle.
RNA polymerase moves along the DNA template strand adding nucleotides to the RNA strand
describe the termination step of the transcription cycle.
when RNA polymerase encounters a terminal signal on the DNA strand, RNA polymerase releases from the template strand
what is the promoter sequence?
the initial binding site
what is the promoter sequence also known as?
the TATA box
which DNA strand is transcribed?
the template strand
what is the RNA secondary structure?
the folding of an RNA strand due to interaction between nucleotides
what happens to nucleotides in the RNA secondary structure?
base pairs within the single-stranded RNA start pairing with each other
which step of the RNA transcription process is least efficient?
initiation step
what is the terminator sequence?
a certain sequence on DNA that ends the transcription process
which step of the RNA transcription process is most efficient?
elongation
what are the signals of termination?
hairpin structure followed by AT-rich region
How do these termination signals help to dissociate the RNA transcript from the polymerase?
Disrupts H-bonding of new mRNA
transcript with DNA template
which types of cell has more complicated gene expression?
eukaryotic cells
what is the job of rRNA?
make ribosomes
what is the job of snRNA?
splice pre mRNA