DNA Barcoding and Molecular Biology Review
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Distance Learning Assignment #5 - Biological Sciences 102 – Animal Biology
STUDENT NAME:
SCORE:
This assignment is worth 35 points.
Using your textbook and/or reliable Internet references, answer the following questions.
You may wish to review several websites or sources to verify your answers.
Submission Directions
Type out (do not handwrite) your answers to the questions below within this MS Word
document by typing your answers between the questions listed below. BE SURE TO TYPE
OUT YOUR NAME ABOVE. Print out your completed assignment WITH YOUR NAME ON IT
and submit it in printed form to Blake in lab or to Blake’s Box in EBS 212 (the Biology Office)
NO LATER THAN 5 pm on the due date indicated on the ASSIGNMENTS page of the course
website. Multiple students MAY NOT submit the exact same answers for credit – do your
own work and write your answers in your own words.
DO NOT CUT AND PASTE FROM WEBSITES OR DOCUMENTS ON THE INTERNET.
Before beginning to answer these questions go to the following site:
http://www.hhmi.org/biointeractive/browse?field_bio_bio_series[0]=24143
and watch ALL of the animations listed on this page – YES, every single one of them.
1. What is a nucleotide? What are the three basic parts of a nucleotide?
2. List 3 specific structural differences between RNA and DNA.
3. Specifically, where can RNA be found inside cells? Specifically, where can DNA be
found inside cells?
4. What is rRNA and why is it important in cells?
5. What is tRNA and why is it important in cells?
6. Describe the process of transcription.
7. Describe the process of translation.
8. What is an intron? What is an exon?
9. What is “junk DNA”? Is it really “junk”
10. What is RNA splicing?
11. Specifically, what gene are we using for DNA Barcoding to identify the various fish
species? Why this gene and not another one?
12. Explain how and why DNA Barcoding can be used to identify a specific species.
13. What does the abbreviation PCR stand for?
14. Regarding PCR, what are primers and why are they important?
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DNA Barcoding and Molecular Biology Review
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Distance Learning Assignment #5 - Biological Sciences 102 – Animal Biology
15. Why is the Taq Polymerase used during PCR and not the DNA polymerase from a
different species? (what can this specific polymerase tolerate that other polymerases
cannot?)
16. Chemically, what is agarose? Why is it used to make gels for DNA separation?
17. Explain why DNA moves through an agarose gel. Which fragments move farther,
smaller or larger DNA fragments?
18. Why is it important to add the fluorescent stain to the agarose gel?
19. Why did you run your cell lysate sample over a column during our DNA Barcoding labs?
20. Briefly explain the specific function of each of the following important enzymes involved
in DNA synthesis/replication, transcription and translation:








helicase
DNA Polymerase I
DNA Polymerase III
topoisomerase
integrase
RNA Polymerase
40 S Eukaryotic Ribosome Subunit
60 S Eukaryotic Ribosome Subunit
21. List two differences in the specific molecular structure of prokaryotic ribosomes versus
eukaryotic ribosomes. Based on their molecular structure, are the ribosomes in
mitochondria more closely related to eukaryotic or prokaryotic ribosomes.
22. Regarding DNA structure, explain what is meant by the 5’ end and the 3’ end of a DNA
molecule. Which direction does DNA polymerase operate to copy DNA? Why can’t DNA
polymerase go the other direction?
23. What is an Okazaki fragment? During DNA synthesis, why are they made? What
enzyme produces them and what kind of primers are required? Can the Okazaki
fragments be made without these primers? Why or why not?
24. At a basic level, explain how the production of proteins relates to genetic characteristics
in animals.
25. What is the Modern Synthesis (in terms of Biology)?
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