Introduction to Genetics

BIOL 2050
Tarushika Vasanthan, Phd

Chapter: 9
Nov 12th 2021
Lecture 7
 RECAP

Central Dogma – the flow of genetic information

 Lecture 7

DNA Replication & Transcription

CHAPTER 9 & 10
 Chapter 9.2

Three Proposed Models of DNA Replication

Blue DNA strands are "heavy" (H) ; Red DNA strands are "light" (L)

Parental DNA duplexes all

consist of two heavy
strands at start

All All
1x H : 1x L intermediate intermediate
duplexes duplexes duplexes

1x H : 3x L duplexes All Intermediate 1x I : x1 L

duplexes
 Chapter 9.2

Meselson & Stahl’s Experiment

 Chapter 9.2

Modes of Replication
 Chapter 9.2

Modes of Replication
 Chapter 9.2

Requirements of Replication

1. A template consisting of single-stranded DNA

2. Raw materials (substrates) to be assembled into a new nucleotide strand

3. Enzymes and other proteins that “read” the template and assemble the substrates into a DNA molecule
 Chapter 9.2

Requirements of Replication
 Chapter 9.2

Direction of Replication
 Chapter 9.2

Continuous & Discontinuous

 Chapter 9.3

Replication: Bacterial Systems

1. Initiation

2. Unwinding

3. Elongation

4. Termination
 Chapter 9.3

Replication: Initiation & Unwinding

 Chapter 9.3

Replication: Unwinding
 Chapter 9.3

Replication: Elongation
 Chapter 9.3

Replication: Elongation
 Chapter 9.3

Replication Fork
Each active replication fork requires five basic components:

1. Helicase to unwind the DNA

2. Single-strand-binding proteins to protect the single nucleotide strands and prevent secondary structures

3. DNA gyrase to remove strain ahead of the replication fork

4. Primase to synthesize primers with a 3’-OH group at the beginning of each DNA fragment

5. DNA polymerase to synthesize the leading and lagging nucleotide strands

Termination: when replication fork meets or by termination protein

Summary
 Chapter 10.1

The Structure of RNA

5' end

Some RNA molecules

have catalytic activity

3' end
 Chapter 10.1

Classes of RNA
 Chapter 10.2

Partial nucleotide sequence of a human gene

5’ ATGTGTGGAGCCACACCCTAGGGTTGGCCA usually only non-template or

3’ TACACACCTCGGTGTGGGATCCCAACCGGT
coding strand of DNA is shown
ATCTACTCCCAGGAGCAGGGAGGGCAGGAG
TAGATGAGGGTCCTCGTCCCTCCCGTCCTC 5’ 3’
CCAGGGCTGGGCATAAAAGTCAGGGCAGAG 3’ 5’
GGTCCCGACCCGTATTTTCAGTCCCGTCTC The complementary
CCATCTATTGCTTACATTTGCTTCTGACAC3' template strand is implied
GGT . . . etc.................5' but not shown

ATGTGTGGA…3’ Table of the genetic code

DNA 5’

DNA 3’TACACACCT…5’

UGU

RNA 5’
AUGUGUGGA… 3’

Protein
Met- Cys- Gly

These sequences AUG

are co-linear
GGA
 Chapter 10.2

Transcribed Strand
 Chapter 10.2

Transcribed Strand
 Chapter 10.2

The Transcriptional Unit

 Components of a gene
Consensus sequences
translation translation genomic
are located within transcription
start (ATG) stop transcription
the promoter region DNA
start +1 stop
(coding strand)
5' Gene X 3'
upstream sequence coding sequence downstream sequence

Transcription translation translation

start (AUG) stop

5' Gene X 3' mRNA

5’ UTR 3’ UTR
coding sequence

Translation
+ Met
H3N COO- Protein X
 Genes can be transcribed (expressed) with different efficiencies

Different numbers of transcription

Different promoter Different promoter
initiations at a specific promoter
sequences strengths
over a fixed period of time

gene C

amount
of RNA

amount
of protein
 Chapter 10.2

Eukaryotic RNA Polymerase