NSB 121 – GENERAL BIOLOGY I
CHAPTER 10 – STUDY GUIDE
WINTER 2013
1. What are bacteriophages? How were these used to establish DNA as the genetic material?
2. Describe the structure of a DNA molecule.
3. What is a nucleotide composed of? What are the four nucleotides found in DNA?
4. What are the three differences between DNA and RNA structure?
5. Who was Rosalind Franklin?
6. How did Watson and Crick deduced the secondary structure of DNA?
7. Describe the double-helix structure as explained by Watson and Crick?
8. Describe the semiconservative model observed in DNA replication.
9. What is an origin of replication? Briefly describe how replication bubbles are formed.
10. Why do we say that DNA strands have an antiparallel arrangement? How does this affect the DNA
replication process?
11. Name two key proteins involved in DNA replication and briefly describe their function.
12. How is the replication of the “leading” strand different to the replication of the “lagging” strand in DNA
replication?
13. Describe the flow of genetic information in an eukaryotic cell.
14. Define transcription.
15. Define translation.
16. What does the “one gene – one polypeptide” hypothesis states?
17. What is the triplet code?
18. What are codons? How many possible codons are? What is the function of the start codon? And the stop
codons?
19. Describe the characteristics of the genetic code. Why do we say that the genetic code is redundant,
unambiguous, nearly universal, and without punctuation?
20. Briefly describe the three stages of a gene transcription. What is a promoter sequence? What is a
terminator sequence?
21. What are the three types of RNA involved in translation?
22. What is an intron? What is an exon?
23. Why does mRNA have to be processed before exiting the nucleus in eukaryotic cells?
24. What is the function of the tRNA molecule? How does it carry its function? What is an anticodon?
25. Describe the structure of a ribosome. What is the function of a ribosome?
26. Describe the three phases of translation.
27. What is a mutation? Where can mutations happen?
28. What are the two general categories of mutations?
29. What are the four possible consequences of base substitutions?
30. What are the possible consequences of deletions or insertions?
31. What is mutagenesis?
32. How can mutations be caused?
33. What is a virus? Describe the structure of a virus.
34. Briefly describe the two types of bacteriophage replication cycles.
35. Briefly describe the replication cycle of an enveloped RNA virus.
36. How do plant viruses infect their hosts and spread?
37. What are emerging viruses?
38. What processes contribute to the emergence of viral diseases?
39. Describe the HIV virus.
40. Describe the cycle of HIV replication in a host cell.
41. What are viroids?
42. What are prions?
43. What are the three mechanisms of gene transfer in bacteria?
44. How do bacterial plasmids serve as carriers for gene transfer?
45. What are R plasmids?