MMSC 301

Intro to biotechnology

 What was the first recombinant drug produced for human use?

Human insulin

Which branch of biotech relies on the use of computer hardware and software to

analyze biological data, such as DNA sequence comparison data?

bioinformatics

What is the most important difference between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell?

The presence of a membrane-bound nucleus and membrane-bound organelles

What is pharmacogenomics

Pharmacogenomics is the study of how an individual's genetic makeup influences their response to drugs, enabling personalized medicine based on genetic information.

DNA to DNA (Replication)

During replication DNA polymerase uses DNA as a template to make an identical copy of DNA.

 DNA to RNA (Transcription)

During transcription RNA polymerase uses DNA as a template to make RNA.

RNA to DNA (Reverse Transcription):

During reverse transcription,reverse transcriptase uses RNA as a template to make DNA

 What is the meaning of 5’ and 3’ on DNA strand?

The terms 5' and 3' refer to the carbon numbering in the DNA backbone. The 5' end has a phosphate group attached to the fifth carbon, while the 3' end has a hydroxyl (-OH) group on the third carbon, which shows the direction of the DNA strand.

What end of DNA is needed for extension

The 3' end of the DNA strand is needed for extension during DNA synthesis, as nucleotides are added to the 3' hydroxyl group.

How is lagging strand synthesized?

The lying strand is synthesized non-continuous in short segments called Okazaki fragments. Each fragment starts with an RNA primer and a DNA polymers extends it. The RNA primers are removed and replaced with DNA and the DNA ligase joins the fragments together.

What is required for converting RNA code into protein?

The process called translation and it needs mRNA, ribosomes(that contain rRNA),  tRNA, amino acids and translation factors the ribosomes read the mRNA codons while the tRNA brings the correct amino acid to build the protein.

 What is the genetic material? How was it confirmed and what is the advantage of

using this genetic material?

DNA is the genetic material that most organisms have DNA is very Important because it is stable and can replicate accurately in storage genetic information that can be passed to the future generation

What is the name of the sequence upstream of a gene?

The promoter is a DNA sequence that is located upstream of the gene. It's where RNA polymerase and transcription factors fine to start transcription.

What is a transcription factor and where do they bind and what do they do?

Transcription factors are proteins that bind to specific DNA sequences near genes, regulating the transcription of genetic information from DNA to mRNA. They can enhance or inhibit RNA polymerase's ability to transcribe genes, playing a crucial role in gene expression.

What is the meaning and function of non coding RNAs?

Non-coding RNA (ncRna) are RNA Molecules that are not translated into proteins. They help regulate gene expressions, and perform other cellular functions some examples of non-coding RNA are tRNA, rRNA and miRNA.

What is splicing and when it happens?

Splicing is the process of removing the non-coding Parts (introns)From the pre-mRNA and joining the coding parts (extrons) together this happens during RNA processing after transcription begins, but before translation.

Which region of RNA are retained and which are removed during splicing?

Exons: Retained and joined together in mature mRNA

Each amino acid is encoded by three RNA nucleotides called a codon.

(# of amino acids = #of coding RNA nucleotides)/(3-1)

This subtraction is because of the stop code on which doesn't code for an amino acid.

How are protein made in the cell? What is the name of the process?

Proteins are made through Translation which happens at the ribosome, the ribosome reads the mRNA codons and tRNA Brings the correct amino acids. The amino acids are linked together to form a polypeptide that folds into the protein.

 What is the functional structure of a protein?

The functional structure of a protein is its 3-D shape which determines its function protein structures have four levels primary, secondary,tertiary and quaternary the tertiary structure is often responsible for the proteins functional shape while some proteins require a quaternary structure

What are common types of mutations and which type of mutation leads to disruption of protein function?

Silent: Changes a DNA sequence without changing the amino acid

Post transcriptional

Happens after the RNA is transcribed and helps prepare it for Translation in mRNA This includes adding a 5’ cap, a poly-A tail and removing introns through splicing

Post translational

 Occurred after the protein has been synthesized and helps it become functional Also protein, folding cleavage and chemical modifications like phosphorylation or glycosylation are done in the step.