Topic 6- Inheritance, Variation and Evolution Flashcards
What does DNA stand for?
Deoxyribonucleic acid.
What is DNA?
It’s the chemical that all of the genetic material in a cell is made up from.
What does DNA contain?
Coded information- basically all the instruction to put an organism together and make it work.
What does your DNA determine?
The inherited characteristics you have.
Where is DNA found in?
The nucleus of animal and plant cells, in really long structures called chromosomes.
What do chromosomes normally come in?
Pairs
Describe DNA.
It is a polymer. It’s made up of 2 strands coiled together in the shape of a double helix.
What is a gene?
A small section of DNA found on a chromosome.
What does each gene code for?
A particular sequence of amino acids which are put together to make a specific protein.
How many amino acids are used?
Only 20 amino acids are used, but they make up thousands of different proteins.
What do genes tell cells to do?
Genes tell cells in what order to put the amino acids together.
Give another thing DNA determines.
What proteins the cells produce, e.g. haemoglobin, keratin. This in turn determines what type of cell it is, e.g. red blood cell, skin cell.
What is genome?
It is the entire set of genetic material in an organism.
What is understanding the human genome important for?
Science and medicine.
Why is understanding the human genome important? (1)
Genes linked to diseases can be identified. This helps us better understand inherited diseases, so we can develop effective treatments.
Why is understanding the human genome important? (2)
Tiny differences in people’s genomes can be studied. This helps us trace the migration patterns of past human populations
What are DNA strands?
They are polymers made up of lots of repeating units called nucleotides.
What are nucleotides?
Repeating units
What does each nucleotide consist of?
A sugar, a phosphate group and one ‘base’.
What forms a ‘backbone’ to the DNA strands?
The sugar and phosphate groups in the nucleotides.
Which 4 different bases joins to each sugar?
A, T, C, G
What does each base link to?
Each base links to a base on the opposite strand in the helix.
Give 2 examples of complementary base pairing.
- A always pairs up with T
2. C always pairs up with G
What decides the order of amino acids in a protein?
It’s the order of bases in a gene that decides the order of amino acids in a protein.
What does each amino acid code for?
Each amino acid is coded for by a sequence of 3 bases in the gene.
What do amino acids joined together make?
Various proteins, depending on the order of the gene’s bases.
What do non-coding parts of DNA do?
Switch genes on and off, so they can control whether or not a gene is expressed.
Where are proteins made?
In the cell cytoplasm on tiny structures called ribosomes.
What do ribosomes use to make proteins?
The code in the DNA.
Why can’t DNA move out of the nucleus?
Because it’s really big.
How do the ribosomes make proteins? (1)
The cells need to get the code from the DNA to the ribosome.
How do the ribosomes make proteins? (2)
This is done by using a molecule called mRNA- which is made by copying the code from DNA.
How do the ribosomes make proteins? (3)
The mRNA acts as a messenger between the DNA and the ribosomes- it carries the code between the two.
How do the ribosomes make proteins? (4)
The correct amino acids are brought to the ribosomes in the correct order by carrier molecules.
How can a protein perform the task it’s meant to do?
When a chain of amino acids has been assembled, it folds into a unique shape which allows the protein to perform the task it’s meant to do.
Give 3 examples of types of proteins.
- Enzymes
- Hormones
- Structural proteins
When does a gene mutate?
Occasionally