Molecular Biology 1+2 Flashcards
(81 cards)
What are the three processes of information replication and use?
Transcription
Translation
Replication
What are the two kinds of nucleic acids?
RNA
DNA
What are the five nucleic bases?
1- Adenine 2- Thymine (DNA) 3- Cytosine 4- Guanine 5- Uracil (RNA)
What are the two types of nucleic bases?
1- Purine: G A
2- Pyrimidines: T C U
How do the nucleic bases bond?
1- Hydrogen bonds
2- A=T
3- A=U
4- C≡G
How many strands does DNA have?
Two
Double strand held together by H bonds
How is DNA organised?
Chromosomes
When do chromosomes condense?
When cells divide during prophase
What is a nucleosome?
147 pairs of DNA
Associated with histone proteins
1.7 left-handed turns
What are the five types of histone proteins?
1- H1 2- H2A 3- H2B 4- H3 5- H4
What is the function of H1 protein?
1- Helps form 30nm fibre
2- Sits on top of nucleosome to maintain the DNA wrapping around other histone proteins
Describe the structure of a chromosome.
Centrosome- holds 2 chromatids together
Gene- segment of DNA that codes for a trait
Chromatids- identical copies
How id DNA packaged?
1- DNA wraps around histone proteins forming nucleosomes
2- Wraps in a ‘beads on a string’ fashion forming euchromatin
3- Further condensed into a more compact 30nm fibre forming heterochromatin
How is protein access in a chromosome allowed?
1- Chromosome is remodelled
2- Condensed chromatin to decondensed chromatin
3- Remodelling complex and enzymes
5- ATP is used
Why is post-translation modification of histone proteins important?
Controls the levels of active proteins, activates or represses
Describe the human genome.
1- Mapping of all human genes 2- ~3 billion base pairs 3- Actual genes make up less than 5% 4- Rest is 'junk' DNA 5- Many parts are repetitive
How many base pairs have been mapped in the human genome?
~3 billion base pairs
How much of the genome consists of actual genes?
<5%
What are two examples of interspersed repeats?
1- SINE: short interspersed element
2- LINE: long interspersed element
Where are SINEs and LINEs derived from?
Retroviruses
What are telomeres?
1- Region of repeated DNA
2- End of each chromosome
3- TTAGGG
4- Protects chromosome from deterioration or fusion with other chromosomes
What are minisatellites?
1- Tandem repeats
2- Consist of 70-100 bases repeated up to 40,000 bases
What are microsatellites?
1- Tandem repeated
2- Consist of 1-6 bases repeated to more than 100 bases
What is myotonic dystrophy?
1- Genetic disease, autosomal-dominant
2- Muscle atrophy
3- Weakness