Theme 2A Flashcards
information flow from DNA to RNA to Protein in order to convert genotype to phenotype
the central dogma or molecular biology
is the central dogma universal to all forms of life
yes
where do transcription and translation occur in Prokaryotes
both in the cytoplasm, they can happen simultaneously
where do transcription and translation occur in eukaryotes
transcription and processing of mRNA in the nucleus and translation it the cytoplasm
what is an auxotroph
an organism that cannot make its own essential nutrients
what does MM stand for
minimal media (salts, sugar, vitamins)
what are the two types of RNA that genes encode for
- Coding RNA (mRNA)
- non-coding RNA (tRNA, rRNA, snRNA)
what does this describe: RNA polymerase reads the 3’ to 5’ nucleotide sequence of the DNA template strand and makes a complementary RNA molecule
transcription
is RNA single stranded or double stranded
single
how many ‘letters’ are the ‘words’ ecndoded by genes / mRNA
3
what is a DNA 3 letter code called
triplet
what is an RNA three letter code called
codon
why can foreign genes be transferred and expressed in different host organisms
genetic code is universal, codons code for the same things is pretty much everything
in which direction is the template strand read
read from 3’ to 5’ by RNA polymerase
what are the names for the strand that is not the template strand
non-template, sense, coding
which strand looks the same as the mRNA (except U and T)
the sense strand
which strand is complimentary to the mRNA
template
which direction is mRNA synthesized in
5’ to 3’ (same as DNA)
what step is mRNA synthesis, and which direction does it happen in
transcription, 5’ to 3’
which direction are mRNA codons read in transcription
5’ to 3’
are there genes on both DNA strands
yes
where does reverse transcription happen
in some viruses with RNA genomes
why does reverse transcription happen
viral RNA needs to be converted into DNA to integrate into the host’s chromosome
why do we think RNA came before DNA
it can store genetic information (like DNA) and can catalyze reactions (like an enzyme)
what are ribozymes
ribonucleus acid enzymes that can catalyze their own synthesis an cleave rNA molecules
what advantage does DNA have over RNA
greater stability and double strandedness allows the complementary strand to be a template in repairs
