[1S] UNIT 1.2 History of Molecular Biology

Question 1

ORIGINS OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

T/F: Arose from the convergence of work by geneticists, physicists and structural chemists on the nature of inheritance.

Answer 1

T

Question 2

ORIGINS OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

T/F: Molecular diagnostics is relatively a young science tracing back from the 1930s to 1940s and becoming institutionalized on the 1950s and 1960s.

Answer 2

F; Molecular biology

Question 3

The study of biomolecules and biomolecular mechanisms that occur in living organisms.

Answer 3

Molecular Biology

Question 4

Mainly focused on the structure and function of gene: molecular nature of the gene, gene replication, mutation and repair and gene expression

Answer 4

Molecular Biology

Question 5

The study of molecular basis of life such as biochemical processes that control information flow through biochemical signalling and the flow of chemical energy through metabolism.

Answer 5

Biochemistry

Question 6

Deals with the structures and functions of cellular components such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids.

Answer 6

Biochemistry

Question 7

T/F: Molecular biology and biochemistry are closely related disciplines. Initially, biochemistry focuses on proteins and enzymes until it includes nucleic acids and the molecular mechanisms by which genetic information from DNA results in the processes of life.

Answer 7

T

Question 8

The term “molecular biology” was coined by _______ ______ of the Rockefeller Foundation in 1938 – in recognition of the importance of new physical and structural chemical approaches to biology.

Answer 8

Warren Weaver

Question 9

_______ _______ work on transmission of inheritable traits – Law of Aggregation & Law of Independent Assortment

Answer 9

Gregor Mendel

Question 10

Father of Modern Genetics

Answer 10

Gregor Mendel

Question 11

Discovered “nuclein” a new molecule from the cell nucleus and believed that proteins were the molecules of heredity, in 1869.

Answer 11

Friedrich Miescher

Question 12

previously thought the transforming principle is now called the DNA.

Answer 12

Nuclein

Question 13

In 1928, ________ ________ was studying two strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae that varied dramatically in both their appearance and their virulence. Specifically, the highly virulent S strain had a smooth capsule (polysaccharide), while the nonvirulent R strain lacked a capsule.

Answer 13

Frederick Griffith

Question 14

found that mice inoculated with either the heat-killed virulent bacteria or the living avirulent bacteria remained free of infection, but mice inoculated with a mixture of both became infected and died.

Answer 14

TRANSFORMING PRINCIPLE: Frederick Griffith

Question 15

hypothesized that a chemical component from the virulent S cells had somehow transformed the R cells into the more virulent S form

Answer 15

TRANSFORMING PRINCIPLE: Frederick Griffith

Question 16

In 1944, ________, _______, _______ used a process of elimination to identify the transforming principle.

Answer 16

Oswald Avery, Colin McLeod and Maclyn McCarty

Question 17

T/F: According to Griffith, DNA is the hereditary material. Thus, transformation cannot occur unless DNA is present.

Answer 17

F; Oswald Avery, Colin McLeod and Maclyn McCarty

Question 18

DNA AS THE GENETIC MATERIAL

In 1952, they prove that DNA is the transforming principle and not protein using series of experiments involving T2 bacteriophages.

Answer 18

Alfred Hershey and Martha Chase

Question 19

DNA AS THE GENETIC MATERIAL

are viruses that infect bacteria (T2 bacteriophage infects E. coli) and widely used for studying genetic transmission.

Answer 19

Bacteriophages

Question 20

DNA AS THE GENETIC MATERIAL

Consists both of protein and DNA which can be selectively incorporated by radioactive isotopes for tracing of bacterial infection. (32-phosphate for DNA and 35-sulfur for protein).

Answer 20

T2 bacteriophage

Question 21

The elucidation of the double helical nature of DNA must be attributed to the contributions of key scientists (______, _______, ______) including the X-ray crystallography done by _______ ________ & _________ _______.

Answer 21

Miescher, Levene and Chargaff
Rosalind Franklin and Raymond Gosling

Question 22

Discover the order of the three major components of a single nucleotide (phosphate-sugar-base), carbohydrate component of RNA (ribose), carbohydrate component of DNA (deoxyribose)

Answer 22

Phoebus Levene

Question 23

first to correctly identify the way RNA and DNA molecules are put together

Answer 23

Phoebus Levene

Question 24

● the nucleotide composition of DNA varies among species
● almost all DNA-no matter what organism or tissue type it comes from maintains certain properties even composition varies (“Chargaff Rules”)
● In particular: A = T; C = G (A + G) = (C + T)

Answer 24

Erwin Chargaff

Question 25

In 1951, she was offered a 3-year research scholarship to help set-up and improve the X-ray Crystallography unit at King’s College.

Answer 25

Rosalind Franklin

Question 26

In 1951, she was offered a 3-year research scholarship to help set-up and improve the X-ray Crystallography unit at King’s College.

Answer 26

Rosalind Franklin

Question 27

Working with a student, Raymond Gosling, they were able to generate two sets of high-resolution photos of crystallized DNA fibers

Answer 27

Rosalind Franklin

Question 28

Deduced that basic dimensions of DNA strands, and that the phosphates were on the outside, probably hinting like a helical structure.

Answer 28

Rosalind Franklin

Question 29

PUTTING THE EVIDENCE TOGETHER They contributed to Watson and Crick’s derivation of the 3-dimensional, double helical model of the structure of DNA.

Answer 29

Rosalind Franklin, Raymond Gosling and Maurice Wilkins

Question 30

PUTTING THE EVIDENCE TOGETHER The unsung hero of the double helix who recruited Franklin

Answer 30

John Randall

Question 31

SEMICONSERVATIVE DNA REPLICATION They provided the experimental proof of semiconservative replication by inventing “density gradient centrifugation” – which uses centrifugal force to separate molecules based on densities.

Answer 31

Matthew Meselson and Franklin Stahl

Question 32

In 1958, he enunciated the concept of “Central Dogma of Molecular Biology” based on their findings of DNA structure

Answer 32

Francis Crick

Question 33

T/F: The protein synthesis process is reversible back to DNA or RNA

Answer 33

F; irreversible

Question 34

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLBIO He utilized fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster, as model organisms to study the interaction and hereditary process between the gene and the chromosomes.

Answer 34

Thomas Hunt Morgan

Question 35

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLBIO The first person to link the inheritance of a specific trait with a particular chromosome (Chromosome theory).

Answer 35

Thomas Hunt Morgan

Question 36

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLBIO He studied the hereditary characteristics of fruit flies, and in 1927, discovered that the number of genetic mutations observed in fruit flies increased when exposed to x-rays.

Answer 36

Hermann J. Muller

Question 37

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Her maize breeding experiments provided the first detailed description of transposable elements (transposons). These mobile elements are referred to as “jumping genes”.

Answer 37

Barbara McClintock

Question 38

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Transfer one genetic material to another

Answer 38

Transposons / Transposable Elements

Question 39

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY He isolated and discovered DNA polymerase I and showed that life can be made in test tube.

Answer 39

Arthur Kornberg

Question 40

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY They shared the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine – ______ for enzymatic synthesis of DNA and ______ for enzymatic synthesis or RNA.

Answer 40

Arthur Kornberg Severo Ochoa

Question 41

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY They hypothesized the existence of an intermediary between DNA and its protein products called messenger RNA.

Answer 41

Francois Jacob, Andrew Lwoff & Jacques Monod

Question 42

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY They also discovered bacterial operons which are protein-binding regulatory sequences.

Answer 42

Francois Jacob, Andrew Lwoff & Jacques Monod

Question 43

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY The group of scientists who first unlocked the genetic code in 1963 and 1966.

Answer 43

Marshall Nirenberg, Har Gobind Khorana, Philip Leder & Heinrich Matthaei

Question 44

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY He finished and has trained organic chemistry as profession but his interests in living things led him to discover the transfer RNA.

Answer 44

Robert Holley

Question 45

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Restriction endonucleases technology in 1969, 1970

Answer 45

Matthew Meselson, Werner Asber, Daniel Nathans & Hamilton Smith

Question 46

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY They developed Recombinant DNA technology and pioneered research on gene manipulations

Answer 46

Paul Berg, Stanley Cohen, Herbert Boyer

Question 47

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY ● First to pioneer DNA sequencing ● Utilized to detect mutations in the genetic sequencing ● Using dideoxynucleotide forms; chain termination sequencing technique

Answer 47

Frederick Sanger

Question 48

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Discovery of reverse transcriptase enzyme and study tumor virus activity

Answer 48

David Baltimore, Renato Dulbeco & Howard Temin

Question 49

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Phylogenetic taxonomy of 16s rRNA resulting to the “tree of life”. He discovered the third domain of life, the archae.

Answer 49

Carl Woese

Question 50

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY In 1977, the ________ DNA sequencing was introduced. In 1978, ______ proposes existence of introns and exons; and in 1986, he proposes the RNA world as the origins of life.

Answer 50

Maxam- Gilbert (Walter Gilbert & Allan Maxam) Walter Gilbert

Question 51

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1981: Nucleic acid-protein complexes

Answer 51

Aaron Klug

Question 52

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1986: RNA as enzymes (Ribozymes)

Answer 52

Thomas Cech Sidney Altman

Question 53

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1989: spearheaded the Human Genome Project – a 13-year international effort to discover the 20,000 to 25,000 human genes and uncover the sequence of the 3 billion DNA subunits contained in human chromosomes

Answer 53

James Watson

Question 54

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1989: Knockout mice technique

Answer 54

Mario Capecchi Martin Evans Oliver Smithies

Question 55

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1993: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)

Answer 55

Kary Mullis

Question 56

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1996: Cloning of “Dolly” the sheep by nuclear transfer from cultured cell line

Answer 56

Keith Campbell Ian Wilmut

Question 57

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 1998: RNA interference (RNAi)

Answer 57

Craig Mello Andrew Fire

Question 58

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2000: Crystal structure of the ribosome

Answer 58

Thomas Steitz

Question 59

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2011: CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing mechanism

Answer 59

Emmanuelle Charpentier Jennifer Anne Doudna

Question 60

NOTABLE CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE FIELD OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2011: CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing mechanism

Answer 60

Emmanuelle Charpentier Jennifer Anne Doudna

Question 61

Figured out the structure and building blocks of DNA

Answer 61

Phoebus Levene