Biology 1 semester study guide

What does DNA stand for?

Deoxyribonucleic acid.

What is transformation in bacteria?

The process by which one strain/type of bacteria is changed into another strain.

What are the four types of macromolecules?

Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic Acids.

What was the conclusion of Griffith’s experiments?

Compounds can be passed from one parent organism to another; the transforming factor must be a gene.

Who conducted experiments that identified DNA as the genetic material?

Oswald Avery, followed by the Hershey and Chase experiment.

What is a bacteriophage?

A virus that infects bacteria.

What is the significance of Chargaff’s Rules?

A = T and G = C, indicating base pairing in DNA.

What did Rosalind Franklin contribute to the discovery of DNA?

She produced a 3-dimensional image (photo 51) that showed the helical structure of DNA.

What are the components of DNA?

Purines: Guanine and Adenine; Pyrimidines: Cytosine and Thymine.

Describe the structure of the DNA double helix.

Two strands running anti-parallel, connected by hydrogen bonds, with a sugar-phosphate backbone and nitrogenous bases as the sides.

What is the 5’ and 3’ end of a DNA strand?

5’ end is the starting point on the left, and 3’ end is on the right.

What did the Hershey and Chase experiment confirm?

That DNA was injected into bacteria, proving that DNA is the genetic material.

What process resulted in the offspring of transformed bacteria being disease-causing?

Transformation.

Who first proposed that genes in bacteria are made of nucleic acids?

Oswald Avery.