Molecular Genetics in 5 minutes

1) DNA, RNA and proteins

DNA - Read Only Memory

DNA is a polymer of  the components Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine, Thymine (AGCT)

DNA is usually double-stranded
5' ACCGTGA 3'
3' TGGCACT 5'


Base-pairing rules : A pairs with T; G pairs with C
RNA - The program resident in memory
RNA is a polymer of the components Adenine, Guanine, Cytosine and Uracil

RNA is usually single-stranded

5' ACCGUGA 3'

Because of base-pairing rules, all information contained in the DNA can be represented in a single strand of RNA.

protein - the output
RNA encodes the sequence of protein, a "polypeptide", composed of amino acid subunits

20 amino acid subunits combine to confer unique biochemical functions to each protein

Example: Plant defensins


                 15                  30                  45                  60 
ATG GAG AAG AAA TCA CTA GCT TGC TTG TCC TTC CTC CTC CTC GTT CTC TTT GTT GCA CAA
M E K K S L A C L S F L L L V L F V A Q

75 90 105 120
GAA ATA GTG GTG AGT GAA GCA AAC ACA TGT GAG AAT TTG GCT GGT TCA TAT AAG GGA GTA
E I V V S E A N T C E N L A G S Y K G V

135 150 165 180
TGC TTC GGT GGA TGT GAC CGT CAC TGT AGA ACA CAA GAG GGC GCA ATT AGC GGC AGA TGC
C F G G C D R H C R T Q E G A I S G R C

195 210
AGG GAT GAC TTT CGC TGT TGG TGC ACT AAA AAC TGT TAA
R D D F R C W C T K N C *


2) Gene Expression


geneexpr

 

3) Genomes and Chromosomes

Prokaryotes (eg. bacteria, archea)

Eukaryotes (eg. protists, fungi, plants, animals)
Organization of a typical human chromosome:

Chromosome 11 map

4) The Tree of Life

Three domains of life
from http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/alllife/threedomains.html



http://home.cc.umanitoba.ca/~frist/Seminars/RIT/RIT.html

 
FRISTENSKY LAB
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