Module 3 Flashcards

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1
Q

What is DNA

A
  • made up of a sequence of smaller components called nucleotides
  • 4 different nucleotides that our bodies use to make DNA: Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, Cytosine
  • DNA is 2 strands of nucleotides wound together
  • all instructions to build all living things on earth is spelled out with 4 letters
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2
Q

Structure of DNA

A
  • nucleotides bind 2 strands of DNA together according to “Base pair rules”
  • a always binds T
  • C always binds G
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3
Q

How DNA holds instructions for life

A
  • sequence of nucleotides in DNA determines sequence of amino acids in a protein
  • sequence of amino acids in a protein determines shape and function of protein
  • your genome (all your genes) are composed of about 3 billion nucleotide pairs
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4
Q

Chromosomes

A
  • all DNA found in 46 chromosomes in each cell nucleus
  • chromosomes are long strands of DNA tightly wound up
  • gene is a section of DNA that holds instructions for how to build one protein or a part of a protein
  • each chromosome contains 100s to 1000s of genes
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5
Q

Making Proteins - 2 challenges

A
  1. DNA is in the nucleus, but we need proteins in the cytoplasm: messenger to transport info from DNA to where protein is assembled, this messenger is called mRNA, mRNA is produced in a process called transcription
  2. DNA is made of nucleotides, but proteins are made of amino acids: mRNA is used as a template to build a protein, this process is called translation
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6
Q

Protein synthesis- 2 steps

A
  1. Transcription: DNA –> mRNA; in the nucleus
  2. Translation: mRNA –> protein; in the cytoplasm
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7
Q

Transcription

A
  • base pair rule used to build mRNA A-T (U) G-C
  • mRNA is a single strand of nucleotides. uses a nucleotide called uracil wherever DNA would have thymine
  • during transcription, making a copy (transcribing) of one strand of DNA- this copy is mRNA and will serve as a template to build protein
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8
Q

Translation- assembling the protein

A
  • mRNA serves as a template to direct assembly of protein- holds instructions on which amino acid comes next
  • sequence of nucleotides in mRNA is “translated” into sequence of amino acids
  • mRNA is read in sequences of 3 nucleotides that correspond to different amino acids (genetic code)
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9
Q

Translation

A
  • mRNA is read in sequences of 3 nucleotides, called codons
  • codons are specific for an amino acid
  • go from a language of 4 letters (nucleotides) to a language of 20 (amino acids(
  • called genetic code
  • all living things use the same code
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10
Q

Protein Synthesis Summary

A
  • transcription in nucleus results in production of RNA from DNA
  • translation at ribosomes results in production of proteins
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11
Q

Gene Expression

A
  • when a gene is expressed it is turned on and is transcribed and translated into a protein
  • when a gene is not being expressed it is turned off and is not transcribed and translated into a protein
  • different cells will have different genes turned on and off at different times
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12
Q

Cell Cycle

A
  • ordered sequence of events in lifetime of cell
  • tightly regulated by many different genes: cell division only occurs when necessary to replace cells or for growth; cell division stops when we have enough cells
    1. interphase- 90% of time; normal cell functions
    2. mitotic phase- 10% of the time; active cell division
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13
Q

Point mutations

A
  • occur at a single point
  • can have varying effects
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14
Q

Frameshift mutations

A
  • due to the addition or deletion of a nucleotide
  • often result in different or defective proteins, it affects where the reading of the sequence of codons start
  • silent mutation
  • missense
  • nonsense
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15
Q

Proto-oncogenes

A

normal genes that control cell cycle
ex. tumor suppressor genes, growth factors, transcription factors

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16
Q

oncogene

A

if a proto-oncogene is mutated and can cause cancer it is called an oncogene

17
Q

Tumor

A
  • uncontrolled cell growth
  • considered benign if it stays in one area and does not spread
  • considered malignant if it is able to spread to other tissues in the body
  • cancer refers to malignant tumors (ie they have potential to spread)
  • when a tumor cells spread to other areas of the body it is called metastasis
18
Q

what causes these mutations

A
  • inherited from parents
  • occur spontaneously in one cell
  • occur from exposure to mutagens
19
Q

Mutagens

A
  • physical or chemical factors in the environment that can damage DNA
  • mutagens that are known to cause cancer- carcinogens
  • where mutation occurs is random
  • some mutations cause no harm at all, some can cause a lot of harm
20
Q

Cancer is not just one disease

A
  • cancers are heterogeneous (many different diseases)- very hard to treat
  • cancer can differ in the cell type that is affected, gene that is affected, specific mutation
  • cancer varies from person to person
21
Q

Treatments for cancer

A
  • surgery can remove a tumor
  • radiation can disrupt cell division locally
  • chemotherapy drugs can disrupt cell division throughout body
22
Q

Common side effects of chemotherapy

A
  • hair cells- hair loss
  • red blood cells- fatigue, brain fog, bruising
  • white blood cells- infections
  • skin cells- rashes, dry skin
  • cells in GI tract- mouth sores, nausea, diarrhea, constipation
23
Q

New personalized cancer treatments

A

cancer patients –> tumour –> sequencing –> analysis modeling –> personalized therapy