MCB study guide

Question 1

Describe the structural organization of the DNA molecule.

Answer 1

two linked strands that wind around each other to resemble a twisted ladder — a shape known as a double helix.

Question 1

Understand what the origin of replication is

Answer 1

An origin of replication is a sequence of DNA at which replication is initiated on a chromosome, plasmid or virus

Question 2

What is the function of DNA polymerase III,and what are the requirements for the enzyme to initiate replication?

Answer 2

Polymerase III is a duplication of the chromosomal DNA

To actually initiate and sustain DNA replication requires many other proteins and enzymes which assemble into a large complex called a replisome.

Question 3

Understand the difference between leading and lagging strand ,and explain how to identify them.

Answer 3

the leading strand is synthesized in the same direction as the movement of the replication fork, and the lagging strand is synthesized in the opposite direction

Question 4

Describe the direction in which the new strand of DNA is polymerized ,and how the template strand is read .

Question 5

Describe in your own words how the leading and lagging strands are polymerized,list the molecules involved in these processes,and highlight the difference and similarities between the polymerization of the leading and lagging strands .

Question 6

What is the replisome?

Question 7

Explain in your own words how the end of the lagging strand is replicated, and
describe the mechanism used by the cell to replicate the end of this chromosome.

Question 8

Explain what telomeres are and the function of the telomerase enzyme

Question 9

Explain why only eukaryotic chromosomes have problems replicating the end of
their lagging strand.

Question 10

During replication few mistakes occur. Explain how mistakes done by the DNA

Question 11

What are the the two main functions of PCR?

Question 12

What are three steps that make up a PCR cycle ?

Question 13

Which cellular mechanism is PCR based on ?

Question 14

What does gel electrophoresis allow you to do ?

Question 15

What are the general principles of how it works ?

Question 16

Compare and contrast PCR and Sanger sequencing

Question 17

When confirming the identity of fragment of DNA you isolated ,why is it useful to perform both gel electrophoresis and Sanger sequencing?

Question 18

What is recombination DNA ?

Question 19

What is the application of recombinant DNA plasmids into bacteria?

Question 20

What is meant by CRISPR immunity ?

Question 21

What are the main elements of the CRISPR/Cas9 complex do to DNA?

Question 22

How is this useful for editing DNA ?

Question 23

Distinguish between somatic and germ cells, and between the outcomes of cell division in these two categories of cells.

Question 24

Interpret the information contained in a karyotype with respect to chromosome content and haploid/diploid.

Question 25

Explain which steps in meiosis result in genetic variation among meiotic products, and how that variation arises.

Question 26

Describe the role of fertilization in creating genetic variation among offspring.

Question 27

Link the structural changes in mitotic cells to the functional requirements for this process (for example, predict what would happen if the nuclear envelope did not dissociate in early mitosis, or if chromosomes did not condense).

Question 28

Compare and contrast the processes and outputs of mitotic cell division vs. meiotic cell division and the different biological situations where each strategy would be used.

Question 29

Explain how the cell-cycle checkpoints in G1/S, G2/M, and metaphase transitions are triggered and why these control points are particularly important to the cell cycle.

Question 30

Interpret the information contained in a karyotype with respect to chromosome content and haploid/diploid.

Question 31

Use visual tools, such as Punnett squares and pedigrees, to make deductions about genotype and phenotype.

Question 32

Understand the probabilistic dimensions of tools such as the Punnett square.

Question 33

Distinguish between the phenotype and the genotype of an organism.

Question 34

Use probabilistic reasoning and knowledge of inheritance patterns to predict which model of inheritance explains observed mating outcomes.

Question 35

Use information about phenotype to predict the genotype of an individual.

Question 36

Describe why genes on the X chromosome show different patterns of inheritance than Mendel described for the traits he observed.

Question 37

Distinguish genetic traits that are likely to be sex-linked or autosomal, based on pedigree analysis of patterns of inheritance.

Question 38

Connect Mendelian patterns of inheritance to the process of meiosis. (note: make sure both law of segregation and independent assortment are somehow assessed).

Question 39

Given different possible loci for two genes on chromosomes, predict the effect on gamete diversity, applying the idea of crossing over.