chapter 6-molecular genetics Flashcards
(105 cards)
Central Dogma
the transmission of information through DNA, RNA, and proteins
DNA’s full name
deoxyribonucleic acid
what is the basic unit of DNA
nucleotide
what is a nucleotide made of
of deoxyribose ( a sugar) bonded to both a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base
compare purine and pyrimidines
1) Purines: adenine, guanine
- larger bc 2 ring bases
2) Pyrimidines: cytosine, thymine, uracil
describe the structure of DNA
- double-stranded helices of complementary strands with the sugar-phosphate chains on the outside of the helix and the nitrogenous bases on the inside
- These strands are held together by H bonds between the bases oriented towards the centre
- Purines bind with pyrimidines linking the polynuclotide chains
- One strand of DNA has its 5’ end points up and the other has its 3’ end pointing up = antiparallel arrangement
what holds the 2 strands of DNA together
H bonds
what does DNA helicase do
breaks the H bonds between the N bases separating the 2 strands
what is a replication fork
opening in the DNA mc created by DNA helicase
what does topoisomerase do
removes the torsional strain caused by the twisting of DNA as the replication fork travels upstream of the DNA mc
- it cuts, twists and rejoins the strands
what is a replication bubble
area where the replication fork has passed a portion of DNA and the 2 strands are separated
what is semiconservative replication
a new daughter helix contains an intact strand from the parent helix and a newly synthesized strand
how are the daughter strands formed during DNA replication ( which enzyme)
DNA polymerase
what does DNA polymerase do
reads the parent strand and creates a complementary antiparallel daughter strands
which way does DNA polymerase read the parent strand? what end does it add nucleotides to?
Reads in the 3’-5’ creating a new daughter strand in a 5’-3’ direction only adding nucleotides to the 3’ end
what is the leading strand
it has its 3’ end facing towards from the replication fork allowing DNA polymerase, DNA synthesis and replication to travel in the same direction and is continuously synthesized
what is the lagging strand
has its 3’ end facing away from the replication fork
- synthesis and replication fork move in opposite direction
Okazaki fragments
short fragments synthesized due to the discontinuous synthesis
what is a gene
a unit of DNA that encodes a specific RNA mc through the process of transcription and through translation that gene ca be expressed as a protein
what is transcription
process in which genetic information is passed from DNA to RNA
what direction is mRNA transcribed
5’-3’ direction and is complementary and antiparallel to the DNA template strand
what is translation
the process in which genetic information is passed from mRNA to protein
- converts the N base message of mRNA to the amino acid language of proteins
what direction is the mRNA translated and protein synthesized
ribosome translates the mRNA in the 5’-3’ direction and the protein is synthesized from the amino terminus (N terminus) to the carboxyl terminus (C terminus)
what is RNA
ribonucleic acid- a polynucleotide