Copy of 00 - Unit 2 - Genes as Medicine - Collaborative resources

What is the primary focus of the unit on Replication and Gene Expression in Biology?

How cells use nucleic acids to grow, divide, and build proteins.

What does mitosis allow complex organisms to do?

Grow in size or replace lost/damaged cells.

What are chromosomes composed of?

DNA and proteins, containing many genes.

What signifies the cell cycle checkpoint in G1 phase?

The cell checks if the DNA is damaged before proceeding to the next stage.

What occurs during the S phase of the cell cycle?

DNA replication takes place.

What is the average time for the cell cycle process to complete?

About 24 hours.

What is the purpose of DNA helicase during replication?

Causes DNA to unwind by breaking the hydrogen bonds at the base pairs.

What do complementary strands of DNA serve as during replication?

Templates for each other.

What are the roles of RNA in protein synthesis?

mRNA carries the genetic code, tRNA reads the code, and rRNA makes up the ribosome.

What are mutations?

Errors in copying made during DNA replication or transcription.

What effect can mutations have on proteins?

They can have neutral, negative, or positive effects on functionality.

How do cells control gene expression?

Through regulatory mechanisms that respond to environmental changes.

What is the structure of DNA described as?

A double helix.

What happens during transcription?

mRNA copies the DNA's code by pairing nucleotides.

What occurs during translation?

Ribosomes synthesize proteins from mRNA.

How does the lac operon regulate gene expression in E. coli?

It uses an operator that can block or allow RNA polymerase to transcribe the genes.

What are introns and exons?

Introns are non-coding segments removed from mRNA, and exons are coding segments that are spliced together.