BIOL 411 Lecture 33: Meiosis Notes

Lecture Objectives

  • Understand Gamete formation in human cells

  • Contrast the steps of Meiosis I and Meiosis II

  • Describe Crossing over events during Prophase I

  • Explain Nondisjunction events and how they effect fertilization

  • Understand the ways Meiosis influences genetic diversity and evolution

Prophase I (Meiosis I) : Steps 4–5

  • At the end of prophase I:

    • The chromosomes are fully condensed and have formed chiasmata.

    • The nuclear envelope has begun to disappear.

    • The meiotic spindle is forming.

Crossing Over

  • Recombinant chromosomes bring alleles together in new combinations in gametes

  • Random fertilization increases even further the number of variant combinations that can be produced

  • This abundance of genetic variation is the raw material upon which natural selection works

The Stages of Meiosis Metaphase I

  • In metaphase I, homologous pairs line up at the metaphase plate, with one chromosome facing each pole

  • Microtubules from one pole are attached to the kinetochore of one chromosome of each tetrad

  • Microtubules from the other pole are attached to the kinetochore of the other chromosome

The Stages of Meiosis Anaphase I

  • In anaphase I, pairs of homologous chromosomes separate

  • One chromosome moves toward each pole, guided by the spindle apparatus

  • Sister chromatids remain attached at the centromere and move as one unit toward the pole

The Stages of Meiosis Telophase I and Cytokinesis

  • In the beginning of telophase I, each half of the cell has a haploid set of chromosomes

  • Each chromosome still consists of two sister chromatids

  • Cytokinesis usually occurs simultaneously, forming two haploid daughter cells

  • In animal cells, a cleavage furrow forms; in plant cells, a cell plate forms

  • No chromosome duplication occurs between the end of meiosis I and the beginning of meiosis II because the chromosomes are already replicated

The Stages of Meiosis II

  • Division in meiosis II also occurs in five phases

    • Prophase II

    • Prometaphase II

    • Metaphase II

    • Anaphase II

    • Telophase II and cytokinesis

  • Meiosis II is very similar to mitosis

The Stages of Meiosis Prophase II

  • In prophase II, a spindle apparatus forms

  • In late prophase II, chromosomes (each still composed of two chromatids) move toward the metaphase plate

The Stages of Meiosis Metaphase II

  • The sister chromatids are arranged at the metaphase plate

  • Because of crossing over in meiosis I, the two sister chromatids of each chromosome are no longer genetically identical

  • The kinetochores of sister chromatids attach to microtubules extending from opposite poles

The Stages of Meiosis Anaphase II

  • In anaphase II, the sister chromatids separate

  • The sister chromatids of each chromosome now move as two newly individual chromosomes toward opposite poles

The Stages of Meiosis Telophase II and Cytokinesis

  • Nuclei form, and the chromosomes begin decondensing

  • At the end of meiosis, there are four daughter cells, each with a haploid set of unduplicated chromosomes

  • Each daughter cell is genetically distinct from the others and from the parent cell

A Comparison of Mitosis and Meiosis

  • Mitosis conserves the number of chromosome sets, producing cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell

  • Meiosis reduces the number of chromosome sets from two (diploid) to one (haploid), producing cells that differ genetically from each other and from the parent cell

  • Meiosis includes two divisions after replication, each with specific stages

  • Three events are unique to meiosis, and all three occur in meiosis l

    • Crossover in prophase I: Homologous chromosomes physically connect and exchange genetic information

    • Alignment of homologous pairs at the metaphase plate: Homologous pairs of chromosomes are positioned there in metaphase I

    • Separation of homologs during anaphase I

Review for Final Exam

Grading Breakdown

  • Homework Assignments 15% Lowest 2 dropped

  • Exams 30% Exams 1-4- Lowest 1 dropped

  • Final Exam 15% Not dropped

  • Discussion Boards/PLTL 10% Lowest 2 dropped

  • iClicker 05% adjusted- 75% = full credit

  • Lab 25%

  • Extra Credit Assignment for the Final

  • SEL Surveys

Reminders

  • Monday, May 5

    • HW10 closes at 1159pm

    • Extra Credit Assignment for Final Exam closes at 1159pm

    • Blue SEL Surveys close at 1159pm

  • Final Exam is on Thursday 8 May, 10:30am-12:30pm

    • Last Names A-L will take the Final in HORTON B04

    • Last Names M-Z will take the Final in MURKLAND 115

Final Exam

  • Cumulative- questions from every week

  • 85 Multiple Choice Questions

  • Bring UNH ID

  • Coverage- Lectures 1-33

  • Helpful Tools

    • Previous Exams 1-4; Homework Assignments

    • Make flashcards/quizlets

    • Recordings and Clicker questions

    • Use exam reviews (weeks 4, 7, 11, 14, 15 in Modules/Canvas)

    • Other resources in Canvas

    • Reach out for help (Office hours May 7)

  • Find the BIG Picture

Exam 1

  • Organization of Life- Molecules to Genetic material to macromolecules to cells

    • Eukaryotic cell

      • Membrane

      • Cytoplasm

      • Membrane- enclosed organelles

      • Nucleus (membrane- enclosed)

      • DNA (throughout nucleus) 1 mm

    • Prokaryotic cell

      • DNA (no nucleus)

      • Membrane

  • DNA (part of the crystallin gene)The crystallin gene is a section of DNA in a chromosome.

  • Crystallin gene

    • A lens cell uses information in DNA to make crystallin proteins.

    • Using the information in the sequence of DNA nucleotides, the cell makes (transcribes) a specific RNA molecule called mRNA.

    • The cell translates the information in the sequence of mRNA nucleotides to make a protein, a series of linked amino acids.

      • Chain of amino acids

      • mRNA

      • The chain of amino acids folds into the specific shape of a crystallin protein.

      • Crystallin proteins can then pack together and focus light, allowing the eye to see.

      • Protein

      • Crystallin protein

      • TRANSCRIPTION

      • TRANSLATION

      • PROTEIN FOLDING

Exam 1

  • Element and Atoms

  • Chemical Bonds

    • Covalent

    • Ionic

    • Hydrogen

  • pH Scale

Covalent Bonds

  • A single bond, the sharing of one pair of electrons, is indicated by a single line between the atoms – For example,

  • A double bond, the sharing of two pairs of electrons, is indicated by a double line between atoms – For example,

  • Each atom that can share valence electrons has a bonding capacity, the number of bonds that the atom can form

  • Bonding capacity, or valence, usually corresponds to the number of electrons required to complete the atom

Ionic Bonds

  • Formed between two oppositely charged ions.

Hydrogen Bonding

  • Hydrogen Bonding Gives Water Properties That Help Make Life Possible on Earth

    • All organisms are made mostly of water and live in an environment dominated by water

    • Water molecules are polar molecules, with the oxygen region having a partial negative charge and the hydrogen region a partial positive charge

    • Two water molecules are held together by a hydrogen bond

    • At any instant, most of the water molecules are hydrogen-bonded to their neighbors

Acids and Bases pH Scale

  • We use a pH scale to describe how acidic or basic a solution is.

  • It tends to range from 0-14.

  • It is a logarithmic scale.

  • Each increase by one represents a 10x increase.

Chapter 2

  • Carbon-Hydrocarbons are organic molecules consisting of only carbon and hydrogen

  • Macromolecules and their functions

ATP: An Important Source of Energy for Cellular Processes

  • An organic phosphate molecule, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), has an important function in the cell

  • ATP stores the potential to react with water, releasing energy that can be used by the cell

The Synthesis and Breakdown of Polymers

  • Cells make and break down polymers by the same mechanisms

  • A dehydration reaction occurs when two monomers bond together through the loss of a water molecule

  • Polymers are disassembled to monomers by hydrolysis, a reaction that is essentially the reverse of the dehydration reaction

  • These processes are facilitated by enzymes, which speed up chemical reactions

Carbohydrates Serve as Fuel and Building Material

  • Carbohydrates include sugars and the polymers of sugars

  • The simplest carbohydrates are monosaccharides, or simple sugars

Fats

  • Fats made from saturated fatty acids are called saturated fats and are solid at room temperature

  • Most animal fats are saturated

  • Plant fats and fish fats are usually unsaturated

  • Fats made from unsaturated fatty acids, called unsaturated fats or oils, are liquid at room temperature

Proteins Include a Diversity of Structures, Resulting in a Wide Range of Functions

  • Proteins account for more than 50% of the dry mass of most cells

  • Protein functions include defense, storage, transport, cellular communication, movement, and structural support

Levels of Protein Structure

  • Primary Structure Linear chain of amino acids

  • Secondary Structure Regions stabilized by hydrogen bonds between atoms of the polypeptide backbone

  • Tertiary Structure Three-dimensional shape stabilized by interactions between side chains

  • Quaternary Structure Association of two or more polypeptides (some proteins only)

Nucleic Acids Store, Transmit, and Help Express Hereditary Information

  • The amino acid sequence of a polypeptide is programmed by a unit of inheritance called a gene

  • Genes are made of DNA, a nucleic acid made of monomers called nucleotides

The Components of Nucleic Acids

  • The sugar in DNA is deoxyribose; in RNA it is ribose

  • A prime (′) is used to identify the carbon atoms in the ribose, such as the 2′ carbon or 5′ carbon

  • A nucleoside with at least one phosphate attached is a nucleotide

Chapter 5

  • Cells: Eukaryotic vs Prokaryotic

  • Organelle- Functions

Comparing Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells

  • In a eukaryotic cell most of the DNA is in the nucleus, an organelle that is bounded by a double membrane

  • Prokaryotic cells are characterized by having

    • No nucleus

    • DNA in an unbound region called the nucleoid

    • No membrane-bound organelles

  • Both types of cells contain cytoplasm bound by the plasma membrane

A Panoramic View of the Eukaryotic Cell

  • A eukaryotic cell has extensive internal membranes that divide the cell into compartments—organelles

  • The plasma membrane and organelle membranes participate directly in the cell’s metabolism

The Evolutionary Origins of Mitochondria and Chloroplasts

  • Mitochondria and chloroplasts display the following similarities with bacteria that led to the endosymbiont theory:

    • Enveloped by a double membrane

    • Contain ribosomes and multiple circular D N A molecules

    • Grow and reproduce somewhat independently in cells.

  • The endosymbiont theory is widely accepted:

    • An early ancestor of eukaryotic cells engulfed a nonphotosynthetic prokaryotic cell, which formed an relationship with its host

    • The host cell and endosymbiont merged into a single organism, a eukaryotic cell with a mitochondrion

    • At least one of these cells may have then taken up a photosynthetic prokaryote, becoming the ancestor of cells that contain chloroplasts

Chapter 5

  • Membrane Transport

Membrane Proteins and Their Functions

  • Six major functions of membrane proteins

    • Transport

    • Enzymatic activity

    • Signal transduction

    • Cell-cell recognition

    • Intercellular joining

    • Attachment to the cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix (ECM)

Passive Transport Is Diffusion of a Substance Across a Membrane with No Energy Investment

  • Diffusion is the tendency for molecules to spread out evenly into the available space

  • Substances diffuse down their concentration gradient, from where it is more concentrated to where it is less concentrated

  • Substances move down their own concentration gradient, unaffected by concentration gradients of other substances

  • The diffusion of a substance across a biological membrane is passive transport because no energy is expended by the cell to make it happen

Review: Passive and Active Transport

Chapter 6

Metabolic Pathways

  • Catabolic pathways release energy by breaking down complex molecules into simpler compounds

    • The energy is then available to do cellular work

    • For example, in cellular respiration glucose and other organic fuels are broken down into carbon dioxide and water

  • Anabolic pathways, called biosynthetic pathways, consume energy to build complex molecules from simpler ones

    • For example, proteins are synthesized from simpler molecules called amino acids

  • Energy is fundamental to all metabolic processes

  • Bioenergetics is the study of how energy flows through living organisms

The Second Law of Thermodynamics

  • According to the second law of thermodynamics

    • Every energy transfer or transformation increases the entropy of the universe

    • Entropy is a measure of molecular disorder

    • Scientists use the term “disorder” to describe how dispersed energy is in a system and how many energy levels are present

Free Energy and Metabolism

  • The concept of free energy can be applied to the chemistry of life’s processes Exergonic and Endergonic Reactions in Metabolism

    • An exergonic reaction proceeds with a net release of free energy and is spontaneous; \\Delta G is negative

    • The magnitude of \\Delta G represents the maximum amount of work the reaction can perform

The Activation Energy Barrier

Enzyme Inhibitors

  • Enzyme activity is often regulated by molecules that selectively inhibit enzyme function

  • Competitive inhibitors bind to the active site of an enzyme and prevent the substrate from binding

  • Noncompetitive inhibitors bind to an alternate site on the enzyme, causing the active site to change shape and become less effective

  • Reversible enzyme inhibitors bind to enzymes by weak interactions; irreversible inhibitors form covalent bonds

  • Toxins and poisons are often irreversible enzyme inhibitors

Chapter 7

  • Cellular Respiration

    • Glycolysis

    • Citric Acid Cycle

    • Electron Transport Chain-Oxidative Phosphorylation

    • Fermentation

An Overview of Cellular Respiration: Electron Transport Chain

Stepwise Energy Harvest via NAD+ and the Electron Transport Chain

  • In cellular respiration, glucose and other organic molecules are broken down in a series of steps

  • Electrons from organic compounds are usually first transferred to NAD+, a coenzyme

  • As an electron acceptor, NAD+, functions as an oxidizing agent during cellular respiration

  • Each NADH (the reduced form of NAD+) represents stored energy that is tapped to synthesize ATP

  • One hydrogen ion H+ is released in this process

The Stages of Cellular Respiration: A Preview

  • Oxidative phosphorylation accounts for almost 90% of the ATP generated by cellular respiration

  • This process involves the transfer of inorganic phosphates to ADP

  • A smaller amount of ATP is formed in glycolysis and the citric acid cycle by substrate-level phosphorylation

  • In this process, an enzyme transfers a phosphate group directly from a substrate molecule to ADP

  • For each molecule of glucose degraded to CO2 and water by respiration, the cell makes up to 32 molecules of ATP

Glycolysis is a Two-Phase Process

  • Set of 10 enzymatic reactions that convert Glucose into Pyruvate

    • Phase 1: Energy Investment

      • Two ATP are used to breakdown Glucose

    • Phase 2: Energy Generation

      • Four ATP are generated in the process of making 2 pyruvate

After Pyruvate Is Oxidized, the Citric Acid Cycle Completes the Energy-Yielding Oxidation of Organic Molecules

  • The citric acid cycle has eight steps, each catalyzed by a specific enzyme

  • The acetyl group of acetyl CoA joins the cycle by combining with oxaloacetate, forming citrate

  • The next seven steps decompose the citrate back to oxaloacetate, making the process a cycle

  • The NADH and FADH2 produced by the cycle relay electrons extracted from food to the electron transport chain

Chemiosmosis Couples the Electron Transport Chain to ATP Synthesis

ATP Yield per Molecule of Glucose at Each Stage of Cellular Respiration

Photosynthesis

  • Light Reaction

  • Calvin Cycle

The Two Stages of Photosynthesis: A Preview

  • The light reactions convert solar energy into chemical energy

    • H2O is split to provide electrons and protons

    • O2 is released as a waste product

    • The electron acceptor is reduced to NADPH

    • ATP is generated by adding a phosphate group to ADP in a process called photophosphorylation

  • The Calvin cycle produces sugar from CO2 with the help of the NADP H and ATP produced by the light reactions

    • CO2 is initially incorporated into an organic molecule through a process called carbon fixation

    • ATP provides the necessary chemical energy, and NADPH provides electrons needed to reduce CO2

. The Calvin cycle uses the chemical energy of ATP and NADPH to reduce C O2 to sugar

  • Phase 3, regeneration, involves the rearrangement of the five remaining molecules of G3P to regenerate the initial CO2 acceptor, RuBP

  • Three additional ATP are required to power this step

Life Depends on Photosynthesis

Chapters 3 and 12

  • DNA- the Genetic Material

  • Replication of the genome

DNA Replication: Getting Started

  • Replication begins at sites called origins of replication, where the two DNA strands are separated, opening up a replication “bubble”

  • At each end of a bubble is a replication fork, a Y- shaped region where the parental strands of DNA are being unwound

  • For the long DNA molecules in eukaryotes, multiple replication bubbles form and eventually fuse, speeding up the copying of DNA

The DNA Replication Complex

  • The proteins that participate in DNA replication form a large complex, a “DNA replication machine”

  • The DNA replication machine may be stationary during the replication process

  • Recent studies support a model in which two D NA polymerase molecules “reel in” parental DNA and “extrude” newly made daughter DNA molecules

A Chromosome Consists of a DNA Molecule Packed Together with Proteins

  • Proteins called histones are responsible for the first level of DNA packing in chromatin

  • Four types of histones are most common in chromatin

  • Histones proteins are positively charged and DNA carries a negative charge

  • A nucleosome consists of DNA wound twice around a protein core of eight histones, two of each of the main histone types

  • Histones can undergo chemical modifications that result in changes in chromatin organization

TRANSCRIPTION

  • Transcription- Ch3

  • Translation- Ch4

Elongation of the RNA Strand

  • As RNA polymerase moves along the DNA, it untwists the double helix, 10 to 20 bases at a time

  • Transcription progresses at a rate of 40 nucleotides per second in eukaryotes

  • A gene can be transcribed simultaneously by several RNA polymerases

Codons: Triplets of Nucleotides

  • The flow of information from gene to protein is based on a triplet code: a series of nonoverlapping, three-nucleotide words

  • The words of a gene are transcribed into complementary nonoverlapping three-nucleotide words of mRNA

  • These words are then translated into a chain of amino acids, forming a polypeptide

Molecular Components of Translation

  • A cell translates an mRNA message into protein with the help of transfer RNA (tRNA)

  • tRNA’s transfer amino acids to the growing polypeptide in a ribosome

  • Translation is a complex process in terms of its biochemistry and mechanics

A Summary of Transcription and Translation in a Eukaryotic Cell

Substitutions

  • A nucleotide-pair substitution replaces one nucleotide and its partner with another pair of nucleotides

  • Silent mutations have no effect on the amino acid produced by a codon because of redundancy in the genetic code

  • Missense mutations change one amino acid to another

  • Substitution mutations are usually missense mutations

  • Nonsense mutations change an amino acid codon into a stop codon, nearly always leading to a nonfunctional protein

Organization of a Typical Eukaryotic Gene and Its Transcript

  • Associated with most eukaryotic genes are multiple control elements

  • These segments of noncoding DNA serve as binding sites for transcription factors that help regulate transcription

  • Control elements and the transcription factors they bind are critical for precise regulation of gene expression in different cell types

Enhancers and Specific Transcription Factors

Ch9-The Three Stages of Cell Signaling: A Preview

  • Cells receiving signals undergo three processes

    • Reception, detection of the signal

    • Transduction, conversion of the signal to a cellular response, via a signal transduction pathway

    • Response, a cellular activity in response to the signal

Chapter 11- Phases of the Cell Cycle

  • The cell cycle consists of

    • Mitotic (M) phase, including mitosis and cytokinesis

    • Interphase, including cell growth and copying of chromosomes in preparation for cell division

  • Interphase (about 90% of the cell cycle) can be divided into subphases

    • G1 phase (“first gap”)

    • S phase (“synthesis”)

    • G2 phase (“second gap”)

  • The cell grows during all three phases, but chromosomes are duplicated only during the S phase

Phases of the Cell Cycle

Binary Fission in Bacteria

  • Prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea) reproduce by a type of cell division called binary fission

  • In bacteria, the single chromosome replicates, beginning at the origin of replication

  • The two daughter chromosomes actively move apart while the cell elongates

  • The plasma membrane pinches inward, dividing the cell into two

Chapter 11

  • Meiosis

The Stages of Meiosis

  • For a single pair of homologous chromosomes in a diploid cell, both members of the pair are duplicated

  • The resulting sister chromatids are closely associated all along their lengths; this is called sister chromatid cohesion

  • Homologs may have different versions of genes, each called an allele

  • Homologs are not associated in any obvious way except during meiosis

The Stages of Meiosis

A Comparison of Mitosis and Meiosis

  • Mitosis conserves the number of chromosome sets, producing cells that are genetically identical to the parent cell

  • Meiosis reduces the number of chromosome sets from two (diploid) to one (haploid), producing cells that differ genetically from each other and from the parent cell

  • Meiosis includes two divisions after replication, each with specific stages