Study Guide 4
Microbiology BIOL 142
1. Review all of previous study guides. You don’t get to forget what you already
learned.
2. Work on those metric conversions.
3. What is DNA? What is the basic structure of DNA? What sugar is DNA made of
and why?
4. What does it mean to say that DNA strands are antiparallel, and complementary,
and form a double helix?
5. What are the monomers of DNA and how are the arranged in the cell?
6. What is a nucleotide? Draw a cartoon of the three major components of a
nucleotide.
7. Name the DNA bases/nucleotides and their abbreviations.
8. How are DNA, genes, chromosomes and genomes related?
9. Describe Griffith’s experiment.
10. What is the central dogma?
11. What is meant when one says a cell/bacterium is competent?
12. Describe conjugation.
13. What is the size range of bacterial genomes?
14. What is a plasmid?
15. What does it mean that bacterial DNA replication is bidirectional?
16. Describe Meselson and Stahl’s experiment?
17. Describe or define the function for the following:
a. Replication fork
b. DNA polymerase
c. Semi-conservative replication
18. What are the differences between RNA and DNA?
19. What enzyme is involved in RNA synthesis?
20. What direction does DNA and RNA synthesis occur in?
21. What RNAs are involved in translation and what are their roles?
22. Draw or describe the structure of a tRNA.
23. Why is the genetic code degenerate?
24. What is the wobble effect?
25. Describe the steps in translation.
26. Understand and be able to use the genetic code table (codon usage) on the
website.
27. Be able to transcribe and translate at gene.
28. Define growth.
29. How do bacteria reproduce?
30. Diagram a typical bacterial growth curve. What happens at each phase?
31. What is the doubling time (generation time) of E. coli in vivo and in vitro?
32. How do you measure bacterial growth?
33. What factors affect bacterial growth?
34. Define the following terms: psychrophile (note the spelling), mesophile,
thermophile, hyperthermophile, acidophile, neutrophile, alkaliphile, halophile.
halotolerant, barophile.
35. What terms would you use to describe the various microbial lifestyles (where do
they get their energy, electrons and carbon)?
Study Guide 4
Microbiology BIOL 142
36. Be able to calculate the number of generations given an initial and ending
population density (n = [log N - log N0 ]/log2).