Week 11: RNA & Sex 1 Flashcards
Domestication definition
Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which one group of organisms assumes a significant degree of influence over the reproduction and care of another group to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that second group.
Domestication is the permanent genetic modification of a bred lineage that leads to an inherited predisposition to respond calmly to human presence
define taming
Taming involves reducing an animal’s fear of humans, teaching it to tolerate human presence, and often training it to respond to commands or cues.
what does DNA stand for
Deoxyribonucleotides
what does RNA stand for
Ribonucleotides
what are the nitrogenous bases in DNA
adenine (A)
thymine (T)
cytosine (C)
guanine (G)
what are the nitrogenous bases in RNA
adenine (A)
uracil (U)
cytosine (C)
guanine (G)
What is the primary structural difference between the monomers in RNA and DNA
In RNA, the sugar is ribose
In DNA, the sugar is deoxyribose
The difference between these two sugars is the presence of a hydroxyl (-OH) group at the 2’ carbon of ribose, which is absent in deoxyribose.
This is why it’s called “deoxy”ribose. The absence of the 2’-hydroxyl group in DNA contributes to its stability compared to RNA.
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what are the 3 key parts nucleotides(RNA or DNA) are made of
Phosphate group
Sugar
Base
The three pyrimidine bases found in nucleic acids (both DNA and RNA) are:
The three pyrimidine bases found in nucleic acids (both DNA and RNA) are:
Cytosine (C): Cytosine is a pyrimidine base that pairs with guanine (G) in both DNA and RNA through three hydrogen bonds.
Thymine (T): Thymine is a pyrimidine base found in DNA. It pairs specifically with adenine (A) through two hydrogen bonds.
Uracil (U): Uracil is another pyrimidine base, but it is found in RNA instead of thymine. Uracil pairs with adenine (A) in RNA through two hydrogen bonds.
The two purine bases found in nucleic acids (both DNA and RNA) are:
Adenine (A): Adenine is a purine base that pairs with thymine (T) in DNA through two hydrogen bonds. In RNA, adenine pairs with uracil (U) through two hydrogen bonds.
Guanine (G): Guanine is another purine base that pairs with cytosine (C) in both DNA and RNA through three hydrogen bonds.
what are ribozymes
Long chains of RNA that fold back and base- pair with themselves, forming 3-D structures, like protein
Ribozymes are RNA molecules with catalytic activity, meaning they can accelerate or facilitate chemical reactions. This property challenges the conventional idea that biological catalysts are exclusively proteins (enzymes).
what is the RNA World Hypothesis
The RNA World Hypothesis is a scientific hypothesis that suggests that life on Earth may have started with self-replicating ribonucleic acid (RNA) molecules before the emergence of DNA and proteins.
The discovery of ribozymes provided important insights into the RNA world hypothesis, which suggests that RNA played a more central role in early forms of life before the emergence of proteins.
Explain how natural selection can act on RNA structures
Natural selection acts on the heritable variations within a population, favoring traits that confer a reproductive advantage and leading to the evolution of more adapted organisms over time.
Describe how base-pairing in RNA can create complex structures with ability to interact with their environment
Base-pairing specificity allows RNA molecules to fold into intricate shapes, which are essential for their diverse functions
Base-pairing in RNA is a versatile mechanism that allows the molecule to fold into intricate structures, ranging from simple stem-loops to complex tertiary structures.
These structures provide functional diversity, enabling RNA to interact with proteins, other RNAs, small molecules, and the cellular environment, contributing to a wide range of biological processes.
Explain how DNA and RNA store information
DNA:
DNA has a double-helix structure, consisting of two long strands of nucleotides.
The sequence of nitrogenous bases along the DNA strand forms the genetic code
RNA (Ribonucleic Acid):
RNA is typically a single-stranded molecule, although it can form secondary structures through base pairing within the same strand.
The process of transcription involves the synthesis of RNA from a DNA template. This RNA copy, called messenger RNA (mRNA), carries the genetic information from the DNA to the ribosomes.
In summary, DNA and RNA store information in the form of sequences of nitrogenous bases. The specific sequence of bases encodes the genetic instructions necessary for the synthesis of proteins and the regulation of cellular processes.
DNA serves as the primary repository of genetic information, while RNA acts as an intermediary, carrying this information from DNA to the cellular machinery responsible for protein synthesis.
Why was RNA probably the original form of life? Pick the most important reason.
A. It was a complex, carbon-based molecule.
B. It’s the only biological molecule that could have formed spontaneously from the components and environment present in earth’s early history.
C. It serves as a template for its own reproduction.
D. It can do work in its environment by catalyzing other chemical reactions to occur.
C. It serves as a template for its own reproduction.
How can RNA reproduce?
In the context of the RNA world hypothesis, it’s theorized that self-replicating RNA molecules, known as ribozymes, could have played a role in the early stages of life.
Ribozymes are RNA molecules that can catalyze their own replication. This involves the ribozyme catalyzing the synthesis of a complementary RNA strand using its own sequence as a template.
The innate ability of RNA - and thus DNA – to replicate itself means that there is a fundamental drive for natural selection to favor those sequences which are most likely to reproduce themselves.
The more capable a strand is of reproducing, the more there will be of it!
True or False
True
what is the basic requirement for the continuation of life and diversity at genetic, individual, population and species scales.
reproduction
how does Natural Selection determine both survival AND reproduction?
Individuals who do not reproduce drop out of the gene pool - biologically speaking, they contribute nothing to their species.
Natural selection operates on the traits (phenotypes) of individuals; those individuals with the most successful phenotypes have the most offspring.
Because traits are ultimately determined by an individual’s genes (DNA), natural selection promotes certain genotypes.
More offspring = more DNA replication = life WIN!
