Transcription (Eukaryotes) Flashcards
What are the three functional elements required for replication and stable inheritance of eukaryotic chromosomes?
Origins for initiation of DNA replication
Centromere
Two ends (telomeres)
What is chromatin (vs. chromosome)?
Chromatin is common state for genomic DNA, only condenses into chromosomes at cell division
What are histones?
Major protein component of chromatin
Small very basic proteins
What are the five types of histones?
H1
H2A
H2B
H3
H4
Why is H1 histone important for nucleosome?
Helps clamp the DNA onto nucleosome and participates in high-order chromatin folding
What is histone acetylation?
Reversible modification of lysines in the N-terminal of the core histones
Alters charge of histone protein
What is the result of histone acetylation?
Reduced binding to DNA
Destabilization of chromatin
True or false: Chromatin is not the protein-DNA complex
False: it IS the protein-DNA complex in which interphase chromosomes exist in nucleus
What are the two forms of chromatin?
Condensed form:
Extended form:
Difference between heterochromatin and euchromatin
Hetero: cell is less active in gene transcription, highly dense and compact
Euchromatin: more active in gene transcription, loose and less compact
What are the types of modification?
Phosphorylation of serines
Methylation of lysines
Acetylation of lysines:
What happens to chromatin when there are acetylated histones?
Histone acetylation relaxes and opens chromatin which allows access for RNA polymerase
What other thins influence chromatin unpacking?
Transcriptional activators
What are telomeres?
Repeats of sequence TTAGGG at extreme ends of chromosomes
What are the functions of telomeres?
Protection from enzymatic degradation
Allow ends of linear DNA to be replicated