random bits throughout Flashcards
what stains darker heterochromatin or euchromatin and what are they made up of?
Heterochromatin is darker - contains solenoids (packs of beads on a string), here genes are not expressed
Euchromatin is lighter - consists of beads on a string, genes here are expressed
DNA is a nucleic acid, nucleic acids are polynucleotides, what makes up a nucleotide?
base, deoxyribose sugar and a phosphate
Nitrogenous bases consist of two purines and three pyrimidines; name each and briefly describe their structure
Pyrimidines - Uracil, Thymine and cytosine - small single ringed structures
Purines - Guanine and Adenine - larger, double ringed structures
What bonds link together nucleotides in a DNA molecule?
Phosphodiester bonds between the OH group of one and the phosphate of the next
what bonds form between the bases of the polynucleotide chains to form an antiparallel double stranded DNA molecule?
hydrogen bonds (note GC have three bonds can form the rest 2)
Three steps make up the DNA replication process in eukaryotes, these are initiation, elongation and termination. Briefly describe each
(end of L2)
Initiation - DNA unwinds and DNA polymerase binds downstream at 3’ end and synthesises DNA in a 5’ to 3’ direction
Elongation - THe DNA unzips a little more and DNA polymerase falls off and a new one binds and synthesises the next segment. On the lagging strand this is done in Okazaki fragments unlike the leading strand which is continuous
Termination - a stop codon is reached
(start of L3)
To which groove do DNA binding proteins bind to?
The major groove, the pentose sugar blocks binding at the minor groove
What makes up a nucleoside?
Sugar and a base, no phosphate group
Distinguish between an exonuclease and an endonuclease
Exonucleases degrade DNA from one end, endonucleases are enzymes which cut DNA iwthin hte strand
DNA polymerases main function is extending the DNA strand, what other function does it have?
(end of L3)
Proof reading
(start of L4)
What are telomeres?
Repeating DNA sequence (TTAGGG) at the end of chromosomes to maintain chromosoma integrity
Explain the phases of mitosis
Prophase - chromosomes condense and nucelar membrane breaks down
Prometaphase - Spindle fibres from kinetochores bind the chromosomes
Metaphase - Chromosomes line up along the metaphase plate in their homolgous pairs (not sure if this is homologuous pairs)
Anaphse - They are pulled as sister chromatids to opposing poles of the cell
Telophase - cell cleavage begins and the nuclear membrane develops
Cells made in meiosis are haploid, what does this mean?
They have one copy of each chromosome (23)
Give the stages in meiosis
end of L4
Meoisis I
Prophase I - Nuclear membrane disintegrates, chromosomes condense, homologous pairs find each other by DNA sequence matching and recombination (crossing over occurs)
Metaphase I - Chromosomes line up on metaphase plate
Anaphase I - The homologous pairs separate to opposite poles of cell
Telophase I - nuclear membrane reforms and cytokinesis
Meiosis II
Prophase II - nuclear membrane disintegrates again
Metaphase II - Chromosomes line up RANDOMLY on metaphase plate
Anaphase II - chromatids separate
Telophase II - nucelar membranes form again resulting in four non-identical cells
NOTE - so it goes Mitosis -> meiosis I -> meisosis 2 -
start of L5
Give two consequences of nondisjunction (faulty meiosis)
Miscarriage (1/3 of all miscarriages caused by it)
Infertility
Mental retardation
Mitotic nondisjunction leads to anueploidy, what is this?
Incorrect number of chromosomes in the cell
Depending on where nondisjunction occurs in meisois after fertilisation we may end up with monosomy, trisomy or normal. What disorder is caused by having trisomy of chromosome 21?
Down’s syndrome
What is G0 and why does it exist?
A stage outside of the cell cycle where non-dividing cells can go and await growth signals
How many chromosomes does every human somatic cell contain in G2, just before mitosis?
46, they DNA doubles but the chromosome number does not
You can see 23 unduplicated structures moving toward each pole, what phase is this?
Anaphase II
Can’t be meiosis I as this would be 23 duplicated structures
Mitosis - would be 46 unduplicated structures moving to each pole
What gene determines male sex development?
Sry gene
What is anaphase lag?
end of L5
When some of the chromosomes lag behind on the metaphase plate in the cytoplasm as the nuclear membranes reform during telophase, this DNA is degraded
(start of L6)
Give some examples of endogenous and exogenous sources of DNA damage
Exogenous - ionising radiation/mutagenic chemicals/alkylating agents/anti-cancer drugs
Endogenous - Free radicals from metabolism/replication errors
Replication errors cause ‘replication stress’ which is inefficient replication that leads to replication fork slowing and/or breakage. They include misincorporation of bases, replication fork progression hinderance and defects in response pathways (e.g. in exonuclease machinery). Give an example of replication fork hinderance
This is any DNA lesion, commonly looping of the DNA or repetitive DNA
Repetitive DNA hinderance can lead to fork slippage. Outline the two types of fork slippage
Backward slippage - Repeated DNA causes the newly synthesised strand to loop out causing an extra nucleotide to be added because replication is happening too slowly
Forward slippage - A reduction in the number of nucleotides, can occur across codons. Replication is happening too quick
What disease is caused by CAG codon repeats
Huntingtons disease - abnormal aggregates of huntingtin form which aggregates in neurons and causes their egeneration mainly in the basal ganglia
The four types of DNA repair are base excision repair, nucleotide excision repair, recombination repair and mismatch repair. Briefly explain each
Base excision repair - Corrects an incorrectly incorporated base
Nucelotide excision repair - Example is UV radiation causing dimerisation of pyrimidines, section removed and replaced.
Mismatch repair -Mismatched bases are detected, segment removed and replaced
Recombination pair reapirs double stranded breaks and is split into homologous directed repair and non-homologous end joining
Non-homologous end joining - a last resort. Is genotoxic because mutations are likely but better than leaving exposed DNA. A complex forms a ring around the damaged region and the ring and regions are removed and ends ligated
Homologous end joining - Affected regions are cut away at different points of each strand, the unaffected single strands use the homologous chromosome and invade it to use it as a template to build the correct, healthy form
amino acids with a positively charged R group are ____ amino acids whilst those with a negatively charge R group are _____ amino acids
basic
acidic
The pK (pKa) value of an acos reers to the point at which there is a tendency to dissociate a proton. Acids have low pK’s whilst bases have high pK’s. If the pH of the solution is lower than the pK of the amino acid, will the group be protonated or deprotonated?
It will be protonated (+ve charge) - acid is a proton donor
What bonds form between amino acids in a protein?
Peptide bonds (CONH) - water is lost
What decides the secondary structure of a protein?
The bond angles on either side of the peptide bond
What is the isoelectric point of a protein?
The pH at which there is no overally net charge on a protein. For acidic ones this is less than 7, for alkaline it is hgher than 7
Hydrogen bonds naturally form between hydrogen atoms and really electronegative atoms like N and O. T/F
T
the rate of reaction is measured by V0 which describes the initial rate of reaction
T
What is Vmax
The theoretical maximum speed of the reaction if all of the active sites of all of the enzymes are filled at all times
What three things does the speed of a reaction depend upon?
Temp/Conc/enzymes
Define ‘Km’
The substrate concentration which gives half maximal velocity
What does a low Km mean for the affinity of an enzyme for the substrate
Enzyme has high affinity for the substrate
1 unit of VMax/V0 values is the amount of enzyme that converts 1umol of product per minute.
T
The michealis-menten equation gives a hyperbolic curve, the _____-__ plot gives a linear arrangement of this
Lineweaver-Burk
Where would you find Vmax and Km on a lineweaver-burk plot?
y axis = 1/Vmax x axis = -1/Km
What do the following enzyme inhibitors affect
a) competitive inhibitors (bind to active site)
b) non-competitive inhibitors (bind at a site on the enzyme away from the active site)
competitive inhibitors - Affects Km
Non-competitive inhibitors - Affects Vmax
What is the purpose of catabolic metabolism?
To break down molecules ot release energy in the form of reducing power
List the essential amino acids. Remembered by ‘If Learn This Huge List May Prove Truly Valuable
Isoleucine Lysine Threonine Histidine Leucine Methionine Phenylalanine Tryptophan Valine
What kinds of fat contain double bonds?
Unsaturated
What are the major functions of the essential amino acids?
Provide essential acids for anabolic processes and are required for the absorption of fat soluble vitamins
What three things does the daily energy expenditure depend upon?
Basal metabolic rate
Enery required to process food
Physical activity level
How do you calculate BMI and what are the units?
Weight (Kg)/Height (m)2
Units are Kg/m2