Lecture 6 Notes (finish)

Gene regulation

Process of turning genes on/off and when/where/how much expression is needed

Gene expression

Process of using the genetic code in production of RNA and protein

Cell differentiation

All cells possess same genome but express only RNA & proteins specific for that cell type

Example of undifferentiated cells

Stem cells

Differentiated cells

mature cells with specific jobs

-contain all the genetic information of the organism,

Upregulation

amplifies, activities, recruit

Downregulation

reduces, represses, silences

Epigenetic changes

Chemical compounds that bind to genes to regulate activity

-how behaviors and environments can affect how your genes work without changing DNA code

Epigenome

Chemical compounds added to the genome

-Chemical tags and switches attached to your DNA that control which genes are turned on or off without changing the actual DNA sequence

What can impact the epigenome?

Environmental factors such as diet and exposure to toxins

Epigenetic changes include:

-DNA methylation

-Histone methylation

-Histone acetylation

Prokaryotic genes are often organized into

operon

Operon

cluster of genes that are transcribed as a single unit

-transcription switch

Pluripotent

endoderm, ectoderm, mesoderm

Alternative spicing

occurs in 70% of human genes expressed

-Different proteins can result from one gene

Transcription takes place where in prokaryotic cells?

cytoplasm

Transcription takes place where in eukaryotic cells?

Nucleus

mRNA

Carries genetic instructions from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosome

-contains codons

tRNA

Delivers specific amino acids to ribosome, matching the genetic code

-contains anticodon

Eukaryotic chromosomes characteristics

Linear, multiple. w/ histone proteins