Unit 4 - DNA Flashcards
What are building blocks of Nucleic Acids?
Nucleotides
What are the 2 main types of Nucleic Acids?
DNA and RNA
What are nucleotides composed of?
– Deoxyribose sugar
– Phosphate group
– Nitrogenous base
Which 2 bases are purines?
Adenine and Guanine
Which 2 bases are pyrimidines?
Cytosine and Thymine
What are the 4 steps of DNA replication?
- DNA unzips
- Complimentary Base Pairing
- Formation of the Phosphate-sugar backbone
- Short strands of DNA are joined
What catalyzes the unzipping of DNA?
Helicase
What catalyzes the complimentary base pairing?
DNA polymerase
What catalyzes the formation of the phosphate-sugar backbone?
DNA polymerase
What catalyzes the joining of the short strands of DNA?
Ligase
What is the smallest length of a DNA molecule?
4.6 E7
DNA is found in _____ in eukaryotic organisms.
Chromosomes
What protein causes the formation of chromosomes?
Histones
Each chromosome consists of functional units called _______
Genes
Any change in the sequence of base pairs of a gene
Mutation
4 types of mutagens
Radiation: X-rays, UV Rays, etc.
Chemicals: Asbestos, Urethane, etc.
Heavy Metals: Lead, Mercury, etc.
Viruses: HPV, Hepatitis B, etc.
What are the two types of mutations?
Frameshift and Point mutations
Tell me how point mutations work
– Involve replacing a single base with another
– Will only affect a single codon
Tell me how frameshift mutations work
– Additions: - base pairs are added
– Deletions: - base pairs are removed
– Inversions: - segments of DNA are inverted
What is the central dogma of modern genetics?
each gene codes for a single protein
What are the most abundant compound in the cell and control all metabolic processes via enzymes?
Proteins!
The synthesis of proteins is directly controlled by ____
DNA
