Study questions
The following
questions are intended as a guide to help you focus your studying. You
must, however, do more than memorize the answers to each of these questions.
You need to understand the material and be able to discuss the concepts
in your own words. Use active study techniques as much as possible (i.e.,
you must do more than just read over your answers many times). I also recommend
that you take advantage of the learning resources at the end of each chapter
in the textbook, including the associated exercises on the textbook website
(www.essentialbiology.com).
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Chapter
10: Molecular biology of the gene
For
Exam 2:
1. What are the four functions of DNA as the genetic material?
2. Be able to describe the three dimensional structure of DNA. What
are the components of nucleotides? How are adjacent nucleotides attached
to one another? What bases form pairs, and what holds these pairs
together?
3. Be able to describe the steps involved in DNA replication.
4. What enzyme links the nucleotides together in DNA replication?
5. Given a sequence of DNA bases, be able to determine the sequence
of the complementary strand.
6.Describe the ways RNA is different than DNA. What are the three
kinds of RNA and what are their functions?
7. What is
transcription? translation? Where do these processes occur?
8. Describe how DNA is transcribed into RNA. What is the promoter region and what is its function? What is the enzyme that performs transcription? What is the terminator code (or terminator sequence) and what is its function? Given a sequence of DNA, be able to determine the sequence of mRNA that would be made during transcription.
For
Exam 3:
9. The genetic code is redundant, unambiguous and universal. What do these
characteristics mean about the genetic code?
10. How does the base sequence code for proteins? Given a codon "dictionary,” be
able to list the sequence of amino acids coded for by a mRNA sequence.
11. Describe the process of translation, step by step (i.e., initiation,
elongation, and termination). For the elongation phase, describe how the
tRNA and mRNA bind to different sites on the ribosome, and how amino acids
are added to the polypeptide chain.
12. How is the structure of transfer RNA (tRNA) useful for its particular
function?
13. What signals the beginning and ending of RNA translation?
14. What is a mutation? List several known causes of mutations (i.e., mutagenic
agents).
15. What is a base pair substitution? a base insertion or deletion? How
might these mutations affect the formation of proteins? Which type of mutation
usually has a more severe effect? Why?
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