BIO - DNA & INHERITANCE

What is a genome?

the entire DNA for an organism

What is a gene?

a section of a molecule of DNA that codes for a specific protein/ characteristic

What are chromsomes?

structure in the nucleus where DNA is tightly coiled around proteins calles histones

What is the subunit of DNA?

nucleotides

What is the name of the nucleotide backbone?

sugar-phosphate backbone

What are the four nucleotide bases?(and which ones are complementary?)

Adenine - Thymine

Cytosine - Guanine

What does the sequence of bases code for ?

sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide (protein)

What is the template strand of the DNA used for

for the genetic code to be transcribed by the mRNA

Triplet code

a sequence of 3 bases in a template strand (for one amino acid)

What are the stages of protein synthesis

Transcription & Translation

Where does protein synthesis happen?

in the cytoplasm ( ribosomes)

Transcription

genes cant leave nucleus so the genetic code needs to be transcribed and carried acrossed to the cytoplasm

What molecule carries the transcription of the genetic code

mRNA (messenger RNA)

DNA vs RNA (DNA characteristics)

double helix

sugar - deoxyribose

base (T) Thymine

DNA vs RNA (RNA Characteristics)

single strand

sugar - ribose

base (T) is replaced with (U) Uracil

What happens to DNA and mRNA during transcription process

DNA unwinds partially “unzips”. So that the template strand is exposed.

mRNA forms from free nucleotides (floating around the nucleus) they will pair with the template strand

Translation

The mRNA genetic code needs to be translated into amino acids which then forms a polypeptide

codon

a triplet of mRNA bases

tRNA

transfer RNA carry corresponding amino acids to the mRNA in the ribosomes.

Every mRNA codon has a corresponding tRNA with an anti-codon and the correct amino acid

what bond joins bases?

hydrogen bond

what bond joins amino acids?

peptide bond