Chapter Ten: Molecular Biology of the Gene

1. How many nucleotides are found in DNA? What are they called? 

  A: Four: Guanine, cytosine, thymine, and adenine. 

2. Are the nucleotides different in RNA? 

  A: Yes. Uracil replaces thymine in RNA. 

3. Where is DNA (genetic material) located in Eukaryotic organisms? 

  A: In the nucleus of a cell.

Five Main Facts From The Reading: 

  1. tRNA molecules serve as interpreters during translation. 

  2. Genetic information written in codons are translated into amino acid sequences.

  3. DNA replication relies on specific base pairings. 

  4. DNA is a double-stranded helix. 

  5. Transcription produces genetic "messages" in the form of RNA.

Amino Acid Chart. 

Amino Acid Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfwdqvqW6n4&feature=related

Ten Key Terms:

 
1. Virus - simply nucleic acid wrapped in a coat of protein.
2. Molecular biology - the study of DNA and how it serves as the chemical basis of heredity.
3.  Nucleotides - long chains of chemical units.
4. DNA Polymerases - the enzyme that links DNA nucleotides to a growing daughter strand.
5. DNA Ligase - the enzyme that links the pieces together into a single DNA strand.
6. Transcription - the transfer of genetic information from DNA into an RNA molecule.
7. Translation - the transfer of the information in the RNA into a protein.
8. Genetic code - the set of the rules giving the correspondence between codons in RNA and amino acids in proteins.
9. RNA splicing - the process of cutting-and-pasting introns and exons.
10. Mutation - any change in the nucleotide sequence of DNA. 

Summary: 

  This chapter deals with molecular biology of a gene and how certain traits are passed from parent to offspring in sexual reproduction, or how the DNA sends a message to its own host body. It covers the central dogma of biology, in other words how DNA from a parent cell is transcribed and translated into a protein that the body needs.