Chapter 10 - Molecular Biology of the Gene

Q: What does a DNA polymerase do in the process of DNA replication?
A: DNA polymerase is used to line up new nucleotides on the already existing strand in terms of the base-pairing rules.
Q: What do transcription and translation do?
A: Transcription is where information is transfered from DNA to RNA and translation is where RNA is used to aid in the process of making a new protein.
Q: What is a promotoer?
A: A promoter is a certain nucleotide sequence of bases that starts off a strand of DNA.

Five main facts:
1) Transcription produces genetic messages in the form of RNA.
2) Ribosomes are what aid in the building up of polypeptides.
3) There are certain codons that initiate as well as marks the start of an mRNA message.
4) Mutations change genes.
5) A virus may use a host cell so that it may implement its own DNA into that of the host's cell DNA.

This is a model of mRNA. As you can see there is only one side of the helix. Also note that instead of T, in place there is instead U. This is an easy way to tell whether or not it is a normal DNA strand or and that of RNA.

This chapter focuses on how DNA, RNA is used in the cell. DNA holds genetic coding that allows for genes to be passed on through the process of DNA replication. RNA comes into play during the actual DNA replication process. DNA controls both phenotype as well as genotype. All living organisms are able to replicate their genes and even viruses are able to put their DNA into a host cell so that more of that virus may be made. 

Key Terms:

1) Molecular biology: study of DNA and how it serves as the chemical basis of heredity

2) Bacteriophages: a type of bacterial virus

3) Polynucleotides: a type of polymer that is in DNA

4) Double helix: two strands that make up the structure of DNA

5) DNA polymerase: enzymes that link DNA nucleotides to a growing daughter strand

6) DNA ligase: enzyme that links two polynucleotides together to form a single strand of DNA

7) Transcription: transfer of genetic information from DNA to RNA

8) Translation: transfer of information from RNA into a protein

9) Triplet code: flow of information from genes to proteins

10) Codons: genetic instructions for amino acid sequence of a polypeptide chain 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfYf_rPWUdY