3.4 Genetic Information, variation and relationship between organisms Flashcards
(126 cards)
what is the difference between the dna in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
prokaryotes e.g bacteria
- the dna molecules are shorter
- the dna molecule form a circle and are not associated with protein molecules, prokaryotic cells therefore do not have chromosomes
eukaryotes
- dna molecules are longer
- form a line (are linear)
- occur in association with proteins called histones to form structures called chromosomes
what type of dna does the mitochondria and chloroplasts of eukaryotic cell contain?
they contain dna which, like the dna of prokaryotes, is short, circular and not associated with protein
what is a gene?
a gene is a base sequence of dna that codes for either a polypeptide or functional RNA
what is a locus?
the fixed position of a gene on a chromosome/dna molecule
why have scientists come to the conclusion that there must be a minimum of three bases that codes for an amino acis?
- only 20 different amino acids regularly occur in proteins
- each amino acid must have its own code of bases on the dna
- only four different bases (A,T,C,G)
- if each base coded for a different amino acid, only four different amino acids could be coded for
- using a pair of bases, 16 (42) different codes are possible, which is still inadequate
- three bases produce 64 (43) different codes, more than enough to satisfy the requirements of 20 amino acids
as the code has three bases for each amino acid, each one is called a triplet. as there are 64 possible triplets and only 20 amino acids, it follows that some amino acids are coded for by one triplet.
what is this called?
degenerate code
what is meant by a degenerate code?
this is where an amino acid can be coded for by more than one base triplet
what is the advantage of having degenerate codes?
an advantage of having degenerate codes is that when a mutation occurs in a triplet code, it could still end up coding for the same amino acid
what is meant by when it is said that dna is non overlapping?
-this means that in the genetic code, each base triplet is reqad in sequence, seperated from the triplet before and after it
what is meant by when it is said that the genetic code is universal?
-the same specific base triplets code for the same amino acid in all living things
what is the name given to bases in dna which do not code for polypeptides?
introns (in the way)
what is the name given to the sections of dna that code for polypeptides?
exons (extra special)
what is the name of the proteins that dna are wound around and what do they do for dna?
- the dna molecule is wound around proteins called histones
- histones proteins help to support the dna
what is a chromosome?
a thread like structure made of protein and DNA by which hereditary information is physically passed from one generation to the next
what is a chromatid?
one of the two strands of a chromosome that are joined together by single centromere prior to cell division
what is chromatin?
the material that makes up chromosomes
-it consisits of dna and the protein histone
how is chromsome formed?
- you have a dna molecule
- the dna molecule is combined with histones
- the dna-histone complex is coiled
- coils fold to form loops
- the loops coil and pack together to form the chromosome
what are homologous chromosomes?
- a pair of chromosomes, one maternal and one paternal, that have the same gene loci and therefore determine the same features
what is a allele?
different versions of the same gene
homologous chromosomes carry the same genes but they are not genetically identical. explain why
homologous chromosomes carry different alleles
what is the diploid nummber in humans?
46
(46 chromosomes and 23 pairs of chromsomes)
what is a cell’s genome?
the complete set of genes in the cell
what is a cell’s proteome?
this is the full range of proteins that the cell is able to produce.
what does RNA stand for and what is it?
RNA stands for ribonucleic acid
-it is a polymer made up of repeating mononucleotide sub units.