DNA/Evolution

• DNA


  Deoxyribonucleic acid
• Nucleotide


  Monomer of DNA
• DNA polymer

  Polymer made from DNA nucleotides
• Helicase


  Enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix during replication
• Semi-conservative replication


  DNA replication where each new strand contains one original and one newly synthesized strand
• mRNA


  Messenger RNA
• Transcription


  Synthesis of mRNA from DNA template
• Translation


  Synthesis of protein from mRNA
• Protein synthesis


  The process of making proteins from mRNA, tRNA, and ribosomes
• RNA polymerase


  Enzyme that transcribes DNA into mRNA
• Codon


  Sequence of 3 nucleotides in mRNA that codes for a specific amino acid
• Start codon


  AUG, signals the start of translation
• Stop codons


  UAA, UAG, UGA, signal the end of translation
• Amino acid


  Monomer of proteins
• Polypeptide


  Chain of amino acids
• Protein


  Polymer of amino acids
• Mutation


  Change in the DNA sequence
• Types of chromosomal mutations


  • Deletion
  • Duplication
  • Non-disjunction
• Types of gene mutations

  • Point mutation
  • Frameshift mutation (insertion/deletion)
• Gel electrophoresis


  Technique used to separate DNA fragments by size
• DNA fingerprint


  Unique pattern of DNA fragments for an individual
• Evolution


  Change in heritable characteristics of a population over time
• Fitness


  Ability of an organism to survive and reproduce in a given environment
• Mechanisms of evolution


  • Natural selection
  • Genetic drift
  • Bottleneck effect
  • Founder effect
• Speciation


  Formation of new species
• Exponential growth


  Logistic growth
• Limiting factor


  Factor that restricts population growth
• Carrying capacity


  Maximum population size a habitat can sustain
• Population growth factors


  • Density dependent
  • Density independent
• Relationship between DNA, gene, and chromosome

  Chromosomes are made of supercoiled DNA, genes are segments of chromosomes that code for traits
• Location of hydrogen bonds in DNA
• Differences between RNA and DNA

  • DNA is double stranded, RNA is single stranded
• Proteins


  Important to living things, can perform various functions
• Monomers of proteins


  Amino acids
• How DNA structure compares between species
• Transcription


  Where it happens, what it makes, enzymes involved
• Translation

  Where: nucleus
• Differences between gene mutations and chromosomal mutations

  • Gene mutations only impact one trait, chromosomal mutations impact the entire chromosome
• Differences between point mutation and frameshift mutation

  • Point only affects one area, frameshift affects the whole gene
• Review Evolution Basics notes and vocabulary