Week 1: Intro to Nucleic Acids

Question 1

What is cell theory?

Answer 1

• The cell is the basic organizational unit of life
• All organisms are comprised of 1 or more cells
• Cells arise from preexisting cells

Question 2

What are the two main types of cells?

Answer 2

Prokaryotic cells and Eukaryotic cells

Question 3

Describe Prokaryotic cells vs. Eukaryotic cells

Answer 3

Prokaryotic: No nuclei, single-celled, bacteria and archaea
Eukaryotic: Nuclei, single-celled OR multicellular, examples include plants, fungi, animals, humans

Question 4

Name the parts of a prokaryotic cell

Answer 4

Flagellum, ribosomes in cytosol, outer membrane, DNA, plasma membrane, cell wall

Question 5

Name the parts of a eukaryotic cell

Answer 5

Nucleolus, chromatin (DNA), nucleus, nuclear pore, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), mitochondrion, lysosome, vesicles, extracellular matrix, centrosome with pair of centrioles, microtubule, golgi apparatus, intermediate filaments, plasma membrane, ribosomes in cytosol, peroxisome, actin filaments

Question 6

What is Ectosymbiosis?

Answer 6

A form of symbiotic behaviour in which an organism lives on the surface of another organism

Question 7

Where did mitochondria come from?

Answer 7

Mitochondria were originally free-living aerobic prokaryotes able to use oxygen to help generate ATP

Question 8

What is Ectosymbiosis?

Answer 8

A form of symbiotic behaviour in which an organism lives on the surface of another organism.

Question 9

Describe the process of the origins of Mitochondria/Eukaryotic cells

Answer 9

Begins as a bacterial ectosymbiont, is engulfed by the cell, becomes endosymbiont, the cell begins to form an ER and nuclear envelope

Question 10

What is the first line of evidence to support endosymbiont hypothesis?

Answer 10

Mitochondria and chloroplasts still have remnants of their own genomes and their genetic systems resemble that of modern-day prokaryotes

Question 11

What is the second line of evidence to support endosymbiont hypothesis?

Answer 11

Mitochondria and chloroplasts have kept some of their own proteins & DNA synthesis components and these resemble prokaryotes too

Question 12

What is the third line of evidence to support endosymbiont hypothesis?

Answer 12

Membranes in mitochondria and chloroplasts often similar to those in prokaryotes and appear to have been derived from engulfed bacterial ancestor

Question 13

Which of the following is considered to be TRUE regarding the evolution of eukaryotes?

A. Eukaryotes evolved before prokaryotes
B. The precursor cell to aerobic eukaryotes contained bacterial endosymbionts that lost all their original DNA
C. The evolution of the endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear envelope to have been gradual processes that did not involve endosymbiosis
D. The evolution of eukaryotic chloroplasts began before endosymbiosis of the aerobic prokaryote by the anaerobic archaeal cell

Answer 13

C. The evolution of the endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear envelope to have been gradual processes that did not involve endosymbiosis

Question 14

What is a model organism?

Answer 14

Living thing selected for intensive study as a representative of a large group of species

Question 15

What are general attributes of model organisms?

Answer 15

Rapid development with short life cycles, small adult (reproductive size), readily available, tractability (ease of manipulation of modification), understandable genetics

Question 16

What are examples of model organisms?

Answer 16

E.coli, Brewer’s Yeast, Arabidopsis, Dosophilia melanogaster, C. elegans, Zebrafish, Mice

Question 17

The study of model organisms helps us to understand humans because ______________

Answer 17

We have similar DNA sequences and proteins

Question 18

What is the simple central dogma of molecular biology?

Answer 18

Information in the cell flows from the DNA to the RNA to protein

Question 19

What is mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA?

Answer 19

mRNA: messenger RNA
tRNA: transfer RNA
rRNA: ribosomal RNA

Question 20

What is a genome?

Answer 20

All the DNA sequences in a cell or organism

Question 21

What is a transcriptome?

Answer 21

All the RNA sequences in a cell or organism

Question 22

What is a proteome?

Answer 22

All the protein in a cell or organism

Question 23

What is an interactome?

Answer 23

All the protein-protein interactions in a cell or organism

Question 24

What is a metabolome?

Answer 24

All the small molecule metabolites in a cell or organism

Question 25

What is a phenome?

Answer 25

All the phenotypes in a cell or organism

Question 26

DNA, RNA, and proteins are _________ as linear chains of info with definite polarity

Answer 26

synthesized

Question 27

What are nucleic acids?

Answer 27

The genetic material in a cell

Question 28

What does DNA stand for? And what does the prefix mean?

Answer 28

Deoxyribonucleic acid. The prefix deoxy- means it is missing an oxygen

Question 29

It is the _________ of DNA that makes it very stable and allows it to function

Answer 29

structure

Question 30

What does RNA stand for?

Answer 30

Ribonucleic acid (it has oxygen!)

Question 31

What are the three parts of a nucleotide?

Answer 31

1. Pentose sugar 2. Nitrogenous base 3. Phosphate group

Question 32

Which C on the sugar is the phosphate group attached to?

Answer 32

The 5' carbon

Question 33

Which C on the sugar is the nitrogenous base attached to?

Answer 33

The 1' carbon

Question 34

What are the two kinds of bases? How many rings does each kind have?

Answer 34

Pyrimidine: 1 (LONGER NAME) Purine: 2 (SHORTER NAME)

Question 35

Which bases are pyrimidines?

Answer 35

cytosine, thymine, uracil

Question 36

Which bases are purines?

Answer 36

adenine, guanine

Question 37

What are the differences between RNA and DNA?

Answer 37

RNA: Ribose; Bases: G, C, A, U DNA: Deoxyribose; Bases: G, C, A, T

Question 38

What distinguishes thymine from uracil?

Answer 38

Thymine in DNA has an extra methyl

Question 39

Sugar + base + 1P = ?

Answer 39

Nucleoside MONOphosphate (which is a nucleotide)

Question 40

Sugar + base + 2P = ?

Answer 40

Nucleoside DIphosphate (which is a nucleotide)

Question 41

Sugar + base + 3P = ?

Answer 41

Nucleoside TRIphosphate (which is a nucleotide)

Question 42

Base + sugar = ?

Answer 42

NucleoSIDE

Question 43

Base + Sugar + at LEAST 1 Phosphate = ?

Answer 43

NuceloTIDE

Question 44

DNA is synthesized from deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates, aka ______

Answer 44

dNTPs

Question 45

RNA is synthesized from ribonucleic triphosphates, aka ________

Answer 45

NTPs

Question 46

Nucleosides are linked together by ___________ bonds

Answer 46

Phosphodiester

Question 47

What are examples of noncovalent attractions?

Answer 47

Electrostatic attractions, hydrogen bonds, Van der Waals attractions, Hydrophobic attractions

Question 48

Double stranded DNA is _________ and __________

Answer 48

anti-parallel; complimentary

Question 49

What does anti-parallel mean for DNA?

Answer 49

1 strand goes from 5' to 3', the other strand goes from 3' to 5'

Question 50

What does complimentary mean for DNA?

Answer 50

The bases (ATGC) pair up in a complimentary way

Question 51

What are the base pairs and how many hydrogen bonds hold them together?

Answer 51

A pairs with T with TWO H-bonds G pairs with C with THREE H-bonds

Question 52

What are three forces that keep DNA strands together?

Answer 52

1. Hydrogen bonds 2. Hydrophobic interactions 3. Van der Waals attractions

Question 53

Why is a symmetric double helix incorrect?

Answer 53

A double helix should have a major and minor groove

Question 54

What is the separation of DNA strands important for?

Answer 54

DNA replication

Question 55

What temperature range would it take to denature DNA strands?

Answer 55

95C - 100C

Question 56

What are the two ends of the DNA strands composed of?

Answer 56

5' end: Phosphate group 3' end: Hydroxyl group

Question 57

Genetic changes acted on by selection are best described as the fundamentals of what process? A. evolution B. regeneration C. DNA replication D. reproduction

Answer 57

A. evolution