Chapter 10 + Unit 6 (AP Biology 2026 and Mrs. Eaton)
What is #' in sugar?
it is counting carbons clockwise from the oxygen, going from 1' to 5'
nucleotide components
phosphate group linked to 5-carbon sugar linked to nitrogenous base
phosphodiester bonds (AP)
link sugars and phosphates in nucleotides (forming the sugar-phosphate backbone)
purines
double ringed nitrogenous bases (A and G - two rings as Pure as Gold)
pyrimidines
single ringed nitrogenous bases (C, T, U)
What is attached to the 5' end of DNA?
phosphate group
What is attached to the 3' end of DNA?
OH (hydroxyl) group
antiparallel
the DNA strands run in opposite directions, each with a 5' end and a 3' end (5' always opposite 3' of complementary strand)
plasmids
small, double-stranded, circular DNA molecules in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
nucleosome (AP)
bunches of histones, package eukaryotic chromatin
euchromatin (AP)
loose DNA in the nucleus, active for transcription
heterochromatin (AP)
genetic material is fully condensed into coils, inactive
DNA helicase
unwinds the double helix by breaking the hydrogen bonds in DNA replication
replication bubbles
DNA strands exposed in a y-shape from helicase opening them, with DNA replication proceeding in both direction from the origin
origins of replication
where DNA replication begins, proteins attach here to begin strand separation
DNA topoisomerases (AP)
cut and region the helix to prevent it from tangling, stop helix from twisting in DNA replication
DNA polymerase
adds the nucleotides to the freshly built strand, only 5' 3 for new strand and 3' to 5' for old strand in DNA replication
What happens to RNA primase after DNA replication kicks off?
it is degraded by enzymes and replaced with DNA
RNA primase
adds a short strand of RNA nucleotides (RNA primer) to start off replication
leading strand
one DNA strand is made continuously in DNA replication by DNA polymerase, 5' to 3' towards forking point
lagging strand
made discontinuously in pieces by DNA polymerase, 5' to 3' direction away from forking point
Okazaki fragments
the pieces of nucleotides that make up the lagging strand
DNA ligase
links the Okazaki fragments to produce a continuous strand in DNA replication
semiconservative
half of each new molecule was a part of the original one, while the other half is a new strand in DNA replication
telomeres (AP)
the ends of the DNA molecule, contains unimportant DNA and gets shorter over time since chromosome loses base pairs at the end
central dogma
DNA --> mRNA --> protein --> expression
Where do transcription and translation occur in prokaryotes?
both in the cytoplasm at the same time
messenger RNA (mRNA)
temporary RNA version of DNA, exits nucleus
ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
makes up parts of the ribosomes, produced in nucleolus
transfer RNA (tRNA)
shuttles amino acids to ribosomes, matches amino acids to anticodons to codons by reading mRNA
What is the structure of tRNA?
anticodon on one side, amino acid on the other,
wobble pairing
anticodons in tRNA can pair against base matching with their third nucleotide
interfering RNAs (RNAi)
small snippets of RNA naturally made in the body, bind to specific RNA sequences to mark for destruction (e.g. siRNA and miRNA)
polycistronic transcript
prokaryotes will transcribe a recipe used to make several proteins, unlike eukaryotes
monocistronic
eukaryotes tend to have one gene that gets transcribed to one mRNA translated into one protein
initiation (transcription)
unwind and unzip DNA using helicase
promoters
special sequences in the DNA strand where transcription begins (like docking sites at a runway), no primer in transcription
What are promoters made up of?
TATA box, weak bonds (double instead of triple) allows RNA polymerase to break through
antisense strand / noncoding strand / minus-strand / template strand
the strand that serves as a template for RNA, only copy one of the 2 DNA strands
sense strand / coding strand
dormant strand not copied in transcription
elongation (transcription)
RNA polymerase builds RNA, adding to 3' side of template strand (build new mRNA 5' to 3')
promoter region
upstream of actual coding part of gene so polymerase can get set up before the bases it needs to transcribe, no need for a primer
termination (transcription)
RNA separates from the DNA template
terminator
special sequence of bases in DNA template that signals end of the gene, lots of C's and G's (STRONGER triple bonds) causes RNA polymerase to release
Do eukaryotes or prokaryotes need extra mRNA processing?
eukaryotes
heterogeneous nuclear RNA (hnRNA) (AP)
freshly transcribed RNA in eukaryotes, still needs to be processed
exons
coding regions of hnRNA, are EXpressed and EXit the nucleus
introns
non-coding regions of hnRNA, INtervening sequences and stay IN the nucleus
splicing
when introns are removed from the mRNA in processing, can splice in different ways with different exons
spliceosome
the RNA-protein complex that does the splicing of introns in mRNA processing
small nuclear ribonuclear proteins (snurps)
part of spliceosomes that recognize the start and end of introns
poly (A) tail
a long string of adenine nucleotides at the 3' end of processed mRNA
5' GTP cap
one guanine nucleotide at the 5' end of processed mRNA
exit (E) site (AP)
holds deactivated tRNA so it can exit after its amino acid has been added
adding (A) site
holds tRNA with next amino acids to be added to the chain
primary (P) site
holds tRNA carrying the growing polypeptide chain
large subunit of ribosome
tRNA binding site, binds with small subunit after it attaches to mRNA, has E, P, and A sites
small subunit of ribosome
mRNA binding site
initiation (translation)
ribosome attached to mRNA, shuttles from A to P to E binding sites
How is tRNA linked to amino acids?
charged tRNA and enzymes need ATP to link AA and tRNA
start codon
AUG (methionine), first to go into ribosome in initiation
elongation (translation)
addition of amino acids to the growing polypeptide chain by tRNA reading mRNA
stop codons
UAA, UGA, UAG (do not code for an amino acid)
termination (translation)
the ribosome runs into one of three stop codons
pre-transcriptional regulation
largest point of gene expression regulation, occurs before transcription, transcription factors encourage or inhibit transcription's start
transcription factors
can encourage or inhibit the start of transcription by adjusting difficulty for RNA polymerase to get to start site, influence expressed genes
epigenetic changes
changes to the packaging of DNA that alter the ability of transcription machinery to access a gene, occurs through histone tightness modification
operons
a cluster of genes used to control a single promoter in bacteria
lac operon
controls expression of enzymes that break down lactose
structural genes
code for enzymes needed in chemical reaction, usually transcribed at the same time to produce particular enzymes
promoter gene
where RNA polymerase binds to begin transcription
operator
region that controls where transcription will occur, where repressor binds
regulatory genes
codes for specific regulatory protein called the repressor
repressor
can attach to operator and block transcription, binds = transcription will not occur
inducer
binds to the repressor and causes it to fall off, turns on transcription
post-transcriptional regulation
when the cell creates RNA, then decides it should not be translated into a protein, RNAi binds to RNA with BP = double stranded RNA which is destroyed
post-translational regulation
cell has made a protein, but doesn't need it; mostly enzymes made ahead of time, turn off as needed
morphogenesis
the succession of stages the cell changes in shape and organization throughout its development
undifferentiated cells
can develop into any type of cell
differentiated cells
once cells become specialized, their futures options are limited (no dedifferentiation; a future muscle cells can't turn into a bone cell)
homeotic genes
the early genes that turn certain developing embryonic cells into future specialized cells, make sure the right gene is activated or part is modified at the right time
Hox genes
a subset of homeotic genes
apoptosis
programmed cell death, destroys scaffolding parts of developing embryo (toe webs)
mutation
an error in the genetic code
causes of mutation
chemicals, radiation, polymerase mistakes
What has proofreading abilities?
DNA to prevent inheritance of them, RNA does not have
base substitution (point) mutations
single nucleotide base is substituted for another
nonsense mutation
point mutations that lead to a stop codon (terminate translation early)
missense mutations
point mutations that lead to a different amino acid
silent mutation
point mutations that code for the same amino acid with no change to the overall protein sequence
insertions / deletions
gene rearrangement that results in gain / loss of a gene(s) and frameshift
frameshift mutation
changes the sequence of codons (triplets) used by the ribosome to make proteins, everything after is affected
duplications
gene rearrangements that result in an extra copy of genes from unequal crossing over or chromosome rearrangement, results in new traits
inversion
changes in orientation of chromosomal regions
translocation
two different chromosomes break and rejoin in a way that causes the DNA sequence or gene to be lost, repeated, or interrupted (can also be one chromosome breaking in 2 places)
transposons
gene segments that can cut / paste themselves throughout the genome
conjugation
swap DNA with other bacterial cells
transformation
uptake of DNA for bacteria
transposition
movement of DNA within and between DNA molecules for bacteria
What increases the genetic variation of bacteria?
conjugation, transformation, transposition
viruses
nonliving agents capable of infecting cells, use host cell machinery to replicate, made of protein shell (capsid) and genetic material
viral genome
carries genes for building the capsid and anything else the virus needs that the host cannot provide
How can viral genomes mix?
if two viruses infect the same cell
lytic cycle
the virus immediately starts using the host cell's machinery to replicate the genetic material and create more capsid proteins, lyse to release viruses
lysogenic cycle
virus incorporates itself into host genome and remains dormant until it is triggered, can remain dormant for a long time until triggered, means cell can divide with viral DNA
prophage
host cell's genome before phage
transduction
the transfer of DNA between bacterial cells using a lysogenic virus. host DNA is packaged into new viral particles so next infected cell has previous host DNA and viral genome
enveloped viruses
viruses with a lipid envelope, no need to break out of cell but bud out of membrane instead
retroviruses
use enzyme reverse transcriptase to convert their RNA genomes into DNA (e.g. HIV), high mutation rates and no proofreading = hard to treat
recombinant DNA
generated by combining DNA from multiple sources to create a unique DNA molecule not found in nature
genetic engineering
produces new organisms or products by transferring genes between cells
polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
lab technique for making billions of identical gene copies in hours, DNA used for phylogenetic analyses
amplification
the process of making many copies of genes
thermocycler
the machine used that mimics the process of DNA replication
transformation in lab
the process of giving bacteria foreign DNA (e.g. making insulin from bacteria or for gene expression studies)
gel electrophoresis
separates DNA fragments by weight and charge
restriction enzymes
create a molecular fingerprint by cutting in specific, personally unique patterns
restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)
the unique restriction fragments of individuals
DNA fingerprinting
when RFLPs from DNA at the crime scene are compared to the suspects' RFLP
DNA sequencing
used to determine the order of nucleotides in a DNA molecules
CRISPR Cas-9
clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, molecular scissors that cut and paste
Who discovered CRISPR-Cas 9?
Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier, 2 female scientists
uses for CRISPR Cas-9
cure lifelong, inherited diseases; don't use on gametes or early development embryos; only stem cells
Cas-9
protein, DNA cutting enzyme, has RNA guide inside with the necessary sequence, surrounded by enzyme
How accessible is CRISPR?
very, any Joe Schmoe can make in 3 weeks
supernatant
lighter components of a solution, in the liquid after centrifuging
lysozymes
naturally occurring enzyme used to break open cells
freeze cells overnight
water expands, leads to breakage
fluorescent protein tail
negatively charged his amino acids
elution buffer (imidazole)
breaks bond between nickel bead and fluorescent proteins by making nickel beads more negative and the R groups of the his more positive