Transcription
What is the name of the region in DNA that RNA polymerase recognizes to begin transcription?
What is a promoter region?
This nitrogenous base is found in RNA but not in DNA.
What is uracil?
What are the building blocks of DNA?
Nucleotides
What enzyme unwinds the DNA double helix during replication?
Helicase
What is the name of the process by which DNA polymerases check each newly added nucleotide against its template?
Proofreading
What enzyme is responsible for synthesizing RNA from a DNA template?
What is RNA polymerase?
This type of RNA carries the genetic information from DNA to the ribosome.
What is messenger RNA (mRNA)?
What are the two categories of nitrogenous bases in DNA?
Purines and pyrimidines
This enzyme synthesizes RNA primers to initiate DNA synthesis.
Primase
Despite proofreading, errors can still occur during replication. Roughly how often is a nucleotide incorporated incorrectly?
1/10^7 nucleotides are incorporated incorrectly
What direction is the DNA template strand read during transcription?
What is 3' to 5'?
In eukaryotes, what process removes introns from pre-mRNA?
What is splicing?
Which base pairs with adenine in DNA?
Thymine
What is the name for the short, discontinuous DNA fragments synthesized on the lagging strand?
Okazaki fragments
This DNA repair mechanism specifically targets and removes thymine dimers caused by UV light.
Photorepair
This sequence in bacterial DNA signals the end of transcription.
What is the terminator sequence?
This modification, added to the 5' end of eukaryotic pre-mRNA, helps protect it from degradation.
What is the 5' cap?
Describe the orientation of the two DNA strands in a double helix.
What is antiparallel
DNA replication occurs in this direction.
5' to 3'
What is the role of mismatch repair (MMR) in maintaining the integrity of DNA?
It recognizes and removes incorrectly paired nucleotides
This complex, found in eukaryotes, is required to initiate transcription.
What is the transcription initiation complex?
What are the three main types of RNA and their functions?
mRNA (carries genetic information), tRNA (carries amino acids), rRNA (structural and catalytic component of ribosomes)
Name the three components of a DNA nucleotide.
A phosphate group, a deoxyribose sugar, and a nitrogenous base
What are telomeres and why are they important in eukaryotic DNA replication?
They are repeating, non-coding sequences at the ends of chromosomes that protect against degradation. Telomerase can lengthen them
Differentiate between specific and non-specific DNA repair mechanisms, providing an example of each.
Specific repair mechanisms target a particular type of damage, like photorepair addressing thymine dimers. Non-specific mechanisms, like nucleotide excision repair, can address various types of damage.