Lecture 5 - Central Dogma & Protein Structure

Question 1

What are the features of RNA polymerase?

Answer 1

• Composition: ~5 proteins (in bacteria)
• Mass: ~500,000 Daltons
• Transcription rate: ~40 nt/sec
• Error rate: ~1 in 100,000

Question 2

What are the features of ribosomes?

Answer 2

• Composition: ~55 proteins + 3 rRNAs
• Size: ~2,500,000 Daltons
• Translation rate: ~10 aa/sec
• Error rate: ~1 in 10,000

Question 3

How are eukaryotes more complex than prokaryotes?

Answer 3

• Both the RNA polymerases and ribosomes are larger and more complicated.
• Most of the rules governing transcription and translation are conserved.
• Cytology is more diverse and more complicated.
• Gene regulation is more complicated.

Question 4

What are complexes?
What are homooligomers and heterooligomers?

Answer 4

• Complexes are oligomers of multiple macromolecules.
• Complexes can consist of copies of the same or different proteins, called homooligomers and heterooligomers.
• Complexes can also include RNA or DNA molecules.
• LDH can be either a homooligomer or heterooligomer. (All are tetramers).