Lecture 3 - DNA Replication Flashcards
(78 cards)
What is the mutation rate during DNA replication? What does this mean for the frequency of protein alteration?
1 per 10^9 (billion) nucleotides
Protein: a 400 AA protein suffers 1 alteration every 200,000 years
How often do cells turnover?
Depends on the cell type:
- Epithelial cells of the gut: every few days
- Most every 7 to 15 years (eg: skeletal muscle)
- Frontal cortex: never
How does the mutation rate of DNA replication limit the size of our genome?
Because we want a genome that is large enough to allow complexity, but not so large that the odds of gaining a mutation is high => limits the genome to 50,000 essential proteins, and our genome is 2/3 of that limit
What is the genetic measurement minute?
1 minute = ~40,000 bp along the DNA molecule
Function of gene mut?
Mutagenesis
Function of gene dna?
DNA replication
Function of gene pol?
DNA polymerase
Function of gene rpo?
RNA polymerase
Function of gene uvr?
UV resistance
Function of gene rec?
Recombination
Function of gene dam?
DNA adenine methylation
Function of gene lig?
DNA ligase
Function of gene Ter?
Termination of replication
Function of gene ori?
Origin of replication
What is the Meselson-Stahl experiment?
- Cells were grown for many generations in a medium containing only heavy nitrogen, 15N, so that all the nitrogen in their DNA was 15N, as shown by a single band when centrifuged in a CsCl density gradient.
- Once the cells had been transferred to a medium containing only light nitrogen, 14N, cellular DNA isolated after one generation equilibrated at a higher position in the density gradient because it had replicated into hybrid helices with both 15N and 14N
- A second cycle of replication yielded a hybrid DNA band and another band, containing only [14N]DNA, confirming semiconservative replication
What is a theta, θ, structure?
Structure resulting from the replication of a circular chromosome because both strands are replicated simultaneously and bidirectionally
How many replication forks per origin of replication?
2
In what direction are nucleic acids synthesized?
5’ => 3’
In what direction is the DNA template being read?
3’ => 5’
What are the 2 types of eukaryotic replication and which one is more common?
- Unidirectional
2. Bidirectional (more common)
How to distinguish between unidirectional and bidirectional replication?
Autoradiography: when tritium (3H) is added for a short period just before replication is stopped, the label would be found at one or both replication forks, respectively
How long are Okazaki fragments?
150 to 200 nucleotides long
What enzyme catalyzes DNA elongation during replication?
DNA polymerase
Describe the 2 steps of DNA elongation and write out the equation.
- Mg2+ on DNA polymerase between 2 Asp residues facilitates the attack of the free 3’ (-OH) on primer strand to the alpha phosphate on an dNTP
- Another Mg2+ on DNA polymerase between 3 Asp residues facilitates the release of PPi
(dNMP)n + dNTP => (dNMP)n+1 + PPi