Structure of DNA
What are genes composed of?
They are made up of sequences of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
How does DNA replicate, or make a copy of itself?
DNA replication
What role does RNA play in Gene Expression?
carry protein information from the DNA in a cell's nucleus to the cell's cytoplasm
What is a gene?
A gene is A segment of DNA that is located in a chromosome and codes for a specific hereditary trait.
Compare & contrast RNA and DNA
Contrast: In DNA it has deoxyribose in RNA it's just ribose for the sugar. RNA has uracil while DNA contains thymine
Compare: They both store information. They are both strings of nucleotides.
What experiments helped identify the role of DNA?
The Hershey-Chase expirement. The result of it was knowing that DNA is the hereditary material.
What are the roles of proteins in DNA replication?
proteins aid in the unwinding and separation of the double-stranded DNA molecule.
What happens during translation?
During translation, amino acids are assembled from information encoded in mRNA. As the mRNA codons move through the ribosome, tRNAs add specific amino acids to the growing polypeptide chain. This process continues until a stop codon is reached and the newly made protein is released.
What is DNA? What is its structure and function?
DNA is the material that contains the information that determines inherited characteristics.
Structure- DNA is made of two linked strands that wind around each other to resemble a twisted ladder (Double helix)
Compare and contrast mRNA tRNA and rRNA
mRNA carries genetic information copied from DNA.
tRNA is specific to each amino acid and carries an amino acid to the growing chain of a polypeptide during the translation process.
rRNAs provide a structural framework for ribosomes.
What is the shape of a DNA molecule?
A double helix
How is DNA replication different in Prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
Eukaryotic DNA replication requires multiple replication forks, while prokaryotic replication uses a single origin. this is because of the size difference in chromosomes
How do codons determine the sequence of amino acids that results after translation?
Each group specifies an amino acid (or provides a stop signal indicating that translation is finished)
what are Nucleotides?
it is a nucleic acid chain. it is made up of sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogenous base.
Compare and Contrast Translation and Transcription
In transcription a segment of DNA, A gene, is used to create mRNA.
In translation RNA is used to produce proteins, and codons are translated into a sequence of amino acids.
How is the information organized in a DNA molecule?
it is organized through the order, or sequence, of the nucleotides along each strand.
What is the process of gene expression?
What are the 3 steps of transcription?
1.) RNA polymerase binds to the gene's promoter (a promoter is a specific DNA sequence)
2.) the two DNA strands unwind and separate
3.) Complementary RNA nucleotides are added.
what are purines and pyrimidines? and what are an example of each?
The purines in DNA are adenine and guanine, the same as in RNA.
The pyrimidines in DNA are cytosine and thymine; in RNA, they are cytosine and uracil.
Compare and contrast DNA polymerase, DNA helicase
Helicase is responsible for unwinding the DNA strand,
DNA polymerase replicates the strand once it unwinds and separates.
What scientific investigations led to the discovery of DNA's structure?
X-ray crystallography which was originally Rosaline Franklins but was stolen by Watson and Crick.
Describe the steps of DNA replication
1.) Proteins called helicases seperate the 2 original strands of DNA
2.) Complementary nucleotides are added to each strand by DNA polymerases
3.) 2 DNA molecules are formed that are identical to the original DNA molecule
Do traits result from the expression of a single gene?
Most traits are determined by more than one gene
What is RNA? What is its function?
The primary function of RNA is to create proteins by translation.
RNA carries genetic information that is translated by ribosomes into various proteins necessary for cellular processes.
The roles of mRNA and tRNA in protein synthesis
as the mRNA codons move through the ribosome, tRNAs add specific amino acids to the growing polypeptide chain.