DNA heredity

Question 1

what is genetics?

Answer 1

study of heredity and variation in cells, individuals and population

Question 2

what is a gene?

Answer 2

functional unit of heredity variation

Question 3

what is molecular genetics?

Answer 3

study of structure and function of genes at the molecular level

Question 4

what is an allele and what is it caused by?

Answer 4

various forms of a gene caused by differences in DNA sequence

Question 5

what is a genotype?

Answer 5

genes inherited by an organism

Question 6

what is a phenotype?

Answer 6

visible traits

Question 7

what is a genome?

Answer 7

entire DNA sequence of an organism

Question 8

what is a gene in terms of DNA?

Answer 8

DNA sequence involved in RNA and protein formation

Question 9

where are genes found?

Answer 9

on chromosomes

Question 10

what is gene expression?

Answer 10

tuning on a gene so that it has an effect
has to be a coding gene

Question 11

what is a coding gene?

Answer 11

a gene that gets converted to protein

Question 12

what is a non coding gene?

Answer 12

a gene that does not get converted to protein

Question 13

what is protein expression?

Answer 13

the type and abundance of proteins in the cell

Question 14

how does protein determine phenotype?

Answer 14

protein determines and controls every reaction in the cell

Question 15

what does an enzyme do?

Answer 15

catalyses the synthesis and transformation of all biomolecules

Question 16

what do structural proteins do?

Answer 16

maintenance of cell shape

Question 17

what are signalling proteins?

Answer 17

hormones and receptors

Question 18

what two things make individuals different from eachother?

Answer 18

different alleles
different regulation of gene and protein expression

Question 19

why do we sequence genomes?

Answer 19

to understand the type and abundance of RNA and protein that result in the phenotype of the organism

Question 20

what do we need in order to sequence genomes?

Answer 20

identify all the genes in the genome

Question 21

what are 5 reasons studying molecular genetics is important?

Answer 21

human health
forensics (DNA fingerprinting)
agriculture
environment
evolutionary biology

Question 22

what does human health entail?

Answer 22

better understanding of human diseases resulting in new therapeutics and diagnostics

Question 23

what does forensics entail?

Answer 23

crime, paternity tests, matching
organ donors, authenticate consumables, source of food poisoning outbreaks, Covid-19 variants

Question 24

what does agriculture entail?

Answer 24

superior crops and livestock; “pharm”
animals

Question 25

what does environment entail?

Answer 25

molecular ecology (species identification and diagnosis for conservation and species-habitat relationships); genetic engineering microbes for bioremediation

Question 26

what does evolutionary biology entail?

Answer 26

phylogenetics and phylogenomic

Question 27

what are the 3 experiments that established DNA as the hereditary molecule?

Answer 27

Griffith
Avery, MacLeod & McCarthy
Hershey and Chase

Question 28

what was the Griffith experiment?

Answer 28

found a substance that could genetically transform streptococcus pneumonia

Question 29

what was the Avery, MacLeod & McCarthy experiment?

Answer 29

identified DNA as the molecule that transforms rough s. pneumonia to the ineffective form

Question 30

what was the Hershey and Chase experiment?

Answer 30

found the final evidence establishing DNA as the hereditary molecule

Question 31

what is Streptococcus pneumoniae?

Answer 31

Bacterial pathogen that causes pneumonia in mammals

Question 32

what is the smooth strain of Streptococcus pneumoniae?

Answer 32

bacterium is surrounded by a polysaccharide capsule
capsule protects strain from the immune system allowing infection (virulence)

Question 33

what is rough strain streptococcus pneumoniae?

Answer 33

lacks polysaccharide capsule, cannot evade the immune system, therefore, non-virulent

Question 34

what is Griffiths conclusion (the transformation principle)?

Answer 34

some molecules released when S. cells were killed could transform living R cells genetically to the virulent S form
-transformation was permanent and heritable

Question 35

What is the chemical nature of the transforming principle? (Avery, MacLeod & McCarthy)

Answer 35

if the type of protein is missing and transformation doesn’t occur, that molecule is the transforming principle

Question 36

what is the experimental approach for Avery’s experiment

Answer 36

eliminate each type of molecule in s cells one at a time and see whether transformation of R cells into the S virulent form still occurs

Question 37

what is the transforming principle?

Answer 37

DNA

Question 38

what is the lytic cycle?

Answer 38

massive reproduction of virus resulting in host cell lysis (virulent)

Question 39

what is the lysogeny cycle?

Answer 39

replication of viral genome (latent).

Question 40

when can lysogenic cycle change to lytic cycle?

Answer 40

if viral DNA is excised from bacterial chromosome

Question 41

what is one characteristic of the lytic cycle?

Answer 41

viral DNA replicates separately from bacterial chromosome

Question 42

what is one characteristic of the lysogenic cycle?

Answer 42

viral DNA is integrated into the bacterial chromosome

Question 43

what were the results of the hershey experiement?

Answer 43

no 35s in cells, 35s found in detached bacteriophages= no 35s in progeny bacteriophage (not HERITABLE)

32p in cells, no 32p found in detached bacteriophages = 32P in progeny bacteriophage (HERITABLE).

Question 44

what was Hershey’s experimental process?

Answer 44

label bacteriophages, DNA, and protein with radioactive isotopes 32p and 35s

-allow infection of E. coli with radioactive bacteriophages

-separate attached bacteriophages and E.coli

-assay presence of 32P (DNA) and 35S (protein) in detached bacteriophage, E. coli cells and progeny bacteriophage