Unit 4: Eukaryotic DNA Rep, Genes, Genomes Flashcards
Where are chromosomes located?
nucleus
What is the difference between replicons in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
Eukaryotes chromosome consist of a number of replicons where prokaryotes have only one single replicon
In eukaryotes, how are duplicated chromosomes distributed to the daughter cells?
during mitosis by means of mitotic spindle.
After mitosis, what are the two pathways of the daughter cell?
daughter cells can continue to divide aka enter G1 or enter G0 which is a resting state
If a daughter cell decides to continue dividing what must happen?
if decision is to divide, cell enters G1 where it needs to grow to the size of parent cell. In G1 everything (macromolecules, proteins, lipids) except DNA is doubled
What must happen for a cell to enter S phase?
There is tight regulation/checkpoint from G1 to S phase. This checkpoint ensures there is no DNA damage and that the cell has grown to its proper size.
How does S phase begin?
S phase begins w/initiation of first replicon in the area of an active gene.
What is the signal transduction pathway?
The process by which a stimulus or cellular state is sensed by and transmitted to pathways w/in the cell. This pathway is found in all eukaryotes
Genes that encode for proteins in the cell cycle are called?
proto-oncogenes
What is an oncogene?
a gene that when mutated may cause cancer
The cell cycle/signal transduction pathway is initiation by what receptor and protein?
Growth Exchange Factor: Epidermal growth factor
Growth factor receptor: epidermal growth factor receptor
What is the function of a growth factor?
to cause dimerization of its receptor and subsequent phosphorylation of the cytoplasmic domain of the receptor
What is the function of the growth factor receptor?
to recruit the exchange factor SOS to the membrane to activate RAS
What is the function of activated RAS?
the function of activated RAS is to recruit RAF to the membrane and become activated
What is the function of RAF?
the function of RAF is to initiate a phosphorylation cascade leading to the phosphorylation of a set of transcription factors that can enter the nucleus and begin the S phase (DNA replication)
What type of protein is epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)?
an integral membrane protein w/extracellular domain with a single pass transmembrane region and a cytoplasmic domain with tyrosine kinase activity
What type of growth factor is the epidermal growth factor? What is the role of EGF?
- a peptide hormone that binds to the extracellular domain of EGFR leading to dimerization
- its role is to stabilize the EGFR dimer.
EFGR phosphorylate each other where?
at the tyrosine residues
Phosphorylated tyrosine residues on EFGR serve what function?
serve as binding sites for other adaptor proteins and have docking sites for multiple adaptor proteins.
How is a cell able to control the number of receptors on the surface or accidental triggering of the transduction pathway?
by clathrin mediated endocytosis of the hormone receptor complex to lysosome for destruction thus preventing accidental triggering of the pathway
What protein binds to phosphorylated tyrosine?
Grb2, which is in complex with SOS
What is SOS?
SOS is an guanine exchange factor (GEF) that can exchange GDP with GTP. It activates RAS and continues the transduction signal by removing GDP with GTP. SOS is recruited to the membrane.
What is RAS and how is RAS connected to the membrane?
RAS is part of the signal transduction pathway. It is connected to the membrane by a protonated tail. It is a G protein and active when bound to GTP and inactive when bound to GDP
How does RAS become inactive? and why wouldn’t we want RAS to always be active?
RAS has GTPase activity (RAS-GAP) which turns GTP back to GDP
-Inactivating RAS protein is required as b/c always active leads to RAS oncogene. RAS oncogenic mutations are the most common in tumor and the mutation causes RAS to bind to GTP more tightly than GDP and as a result it does not require a growth factor to trigger activation.
What is the only role of RAS, once it is activated?
once RAS is activated, its only role is to recruit serine/threonine protein kinase called RAF
How is inactive RAF brought to the membrane?
on a scaffolding platform called connector enhancer KSR (CNK) along with KSR which is a kinase suppressor of RAS
What is KSR?
a kinase suppressor of RAS
Activation of RAF, KSR, and CNK lead to what?
dimerization of KSR and RAF which opens up protein complex allowing phosphorylation and the KSR-RAF dimer is released from the scaffold (where the KSR now serves as scaffold for the next steps of the pathways)
What does phosphorylated RAF do?
activates MEK by phosphorylating and triggering the phosphorylation cascade. Then activates ERK, which activates transcription factors which enter the nucleus and initiate transcription of the genes to prepare for passage through G1 and then S phase
How is cell cycle progression controlled?
by a set of serine/threonine protein kinases called cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs).
CDKS are normally inactive until they are activated by cyclins proteins.
How are CDKs regulated?
Become activated by cyclins but also regulated by other kinases
-inhibitor proteins negatively regulate cyclin/CDKs and a set of activator proteins called CAKs positively regulate cyclin/CDKs
What are tumor suppressor proteins?
p53 and Rb, which prevent uncontrolled cell growth and act as guardians of the cell.
Even if the RAS is oncogenic the tumor suppressors can prevent the cell from progressing from G1 to the S phase.