Gene Structure and DNA Technology
- all links are also on our resources page under “Websites for DNA analysis activity”
Go to website 1: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genome/explore.html
Read intro and then click on “Explore a Stretch of Code”
Click on the different parts of DNA code and answer the associated questions.
On/off switch:
What is this switch really called?
Why are they necessary?
What distinct sequence does a TATA box have?
What key protein must bind to this sequence in order for transcription to begin?
Start Codon:
What is the universal sequence for this codon and what amino acid does it code for?
What is a reading frame and how does the start codon help establish it?
Stop Codon
What are the possible stop codons?
What amino acids are coded for by these codons?
Introns
What are introns?
Are they replicated? Are they translated?
Exons
What are exons?
Are they replicated? Are they translated?
How might the splicing of these introns and exons increase the number of proteins we can
generate?
Hitchhiking Code
What is it? Where did it come from?
Ancient Code
What is it? Where did it come from?
Sites of Variation
What is a SNP? (not what does it stand for…. What is it? )
How might SNP’s be used to determine familial relationships between two individuals?
Now go to the following website: http://highered.mcgrawhill.com/sites/0072437316/student_view0/chapter18/animations.html#
Click on “Control of Gene Expression in Eukaryotes”
1. List AND DESCRIBE three ways a cell regulates how successfully an mRNA transcript
is generated.
2. How can a cell regulate the success of the protein being made or becoming active?
3. What modifications made to the mRNA lower the risk of degradation? (Notes)
Now watch: “Transcription Complex and enhancers”
1. What essentially is the goal of the basal factors?
2. Explain how the presence of certain sequences in the DNA combined with a particular set
of proteins can both increase and decrease the rate of transcription.
On the left hand side of the screen select Chapter 15 from the pull down menu. Then click on
“Animations” under More resources.
Watch: “Processing of Gene information in Prokaryotes vs. Eukaryotes”.
1. Make a list of the major difference between bacterial and eukaryotic transcription.
2. What is an operon?
For fun watch “How spliceosomes process RNA”
1. The narrating text and voiceover made a mistake…. What was it? :p
OK LAST ONE!!!
Watch the protein synthesis animation.
1. The major difference between prokaryotic and eukaryotic translation has to do with the
size of ribosomal subunits. Do a little research and compare them below.