Central Dogma of Genetics

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maleah

Cards (61)

What does the central dogma of molecular biology describe?
The flow of genetic information in cells
What is the sequence of events in the central dogma?
DNA → mRNA → protein
Where does DNA transcription occur?
In the nucleus
What is the role of mRNA after transcription?
It travels to the ribosomes for translation
What is the significance of the S phase of Interphase?
DNA replication occurs during this phase
What does the central dogma provide evidence for?
The common ancestry of all life forms
What is an exception to the central dogma involving retroviruses?
They transcribe RNA into DNA
What enzyme do retroviruses use to transcribe RNA into DNA?
Reverse transcriptase
How do primitive viruses differ in their genetic material?
They use only RNA to produce proteins
What is the new exception to the central dogma discovered with prions?
Protein → Protein replication
Why are retroviruses and prions not considered "alive"?
They do not follow the central dogma
What is the primary function of DNA?
To code for the body’s proteins
What does the one gene-one polypeptide hypothesis state?
A single gene codes for one polypeptide
What is transcription?
The process of making mRNA from DNA
Why is transcription important?
It allows DNA to be used for protein synthesis
How does transcription differ from replication?
Transcription occurs gene by gene
What are the three major phases of transcription?
Initiation, Elongation, Termination
What happens during the initiation phase of transcription?
Transcription factors attach to the promoter region
What is the TATA box?
A specific part of the promoter region
What does RNA polymerase do during transcription?
It assembles new RNA molecules
What is the template strand in transcription?
The DNA strand used to build RNA
In which direction is the new RNA molecule built?
5’ to 3’ direction
What is the primary transcript?
The newly formed RNA molecule
What signals the end of transcription?
A stop or terminator sequence in DNA
What happens to RNA polymerase after transcription is complete?
It unbinds from the DNA
How do prokaryotic and eukaryotic RNA processing differ?
Prokaryotic RNA can act as mRNA immediately
What are the steps of RNA processing in eukaryotic cells?
5’ modification: Add GTP cap
3’ modification: Add Poly A Tail
Splicing: Remove introns, retain exons
What is alternative splicing?
Choosing which exons to include in mRNA
How does alternative splicing affect protein diversity?
It allows multiple proteins from one gene
How many protein-coding genes do human cells contain?
Approximately 20,000
How many different proteins can humans produce?
Over 100,000 different proteins
What role do introns play in gene expression?
They allow for microRNA regulation
What are the four important types of RNA?
mRNA: Carries information from DNA
tRNA: Delivers amino acids to ribosomes
rRNA: Forms ribosomes with proteins
snRNA: Involved in RNA processing
What role do introns play during meiosis?
They may regulate crossing over.
What are the four important types of RNA?
Messenger RNA (mRNA)
Transfer RNA (tRNA)
Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
Small nuclear RNA (snRNA)
How does the sequence of RNA bases affect its function?
It determines the RNA molecule's function.
What is the function of mRNA?
It carries information from DNA to ribosomes.
What does tRNA do during translation?
It delivers specific amino acids to ribosomes.
What is the role of rRNA in cells?
It forms the functional building blocks of ribosomes.
What is the function of snRNA?
It forms spliceosomes for RNA processing.