Nucleic acids are polymers of

nucleotides

The monomers of nucleic acids consist of a phosphate group, a five-carbon sugar, and a

nitrogenous base

provides directions for its own replication. It also directs cell activities by providing instructions for building proteins.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

A gene provides the directions to build a molecule of __________ ; the genetic instructions it carries are then translated into the amino acid sequence of a protein.

RNA (ribonucleic acid)

A polynucleotide has a repeating __________ backbone.

sugar-phosphate

The structure of DNA is a __________ , held together by the complementary base-pairing of cytosine with guanine, and adenine with thymine.

double helix

RNA usually consists of a single __________ strand.

polynucleotide

Can you correctly label various parts of a DNA molecule?

During DNA replication, __________.

each of the two daughter DNA molecules contains one strand from the original DNA molecule and one newly synthesized strand

Can you identify the type(s) of nucleic acid to which each of the following structures belong?

DNA and RNA have three important structural differences. These include all of the following EXCEPT that __________.

DNA contains phosphate while RNA does not

Can you label the bases on the RNA transcript?

Which of the following events occurs during transcription?

A molecule of RNA is formed based on the sequence of nucleotides in DNA.

Which of the following is a correct statement about mRNA?

mRNA moves from the nucleus to the cytoplasm following RNA processing.

The site of translation is

ribosomes in the cell cytoplasm.

Which one of the following does not play a role in translation?

DNA

Which of the following does not occur during RNA processing?

mRNA attaches to the small subunit of a ribosome.

The central dogma describes how the genes in the nucleus work to produce an organism's phenotype. Another way of putting it is that the central dogma follows the flow of information from _____.

DNA to protein

DNA carries out two basic functions in cells: (1) information storage and transfer (genes can be copied and passed to offspring) and (2) the "blueprint" function (genes provide instructions for building proteins). The key process for information storage and transfer to offspring cells is _____.

DNA replication

A gene is a sequence of DNA nucleotide bases that codes for a single protein. Approximately how many nucleotide bases would be required to code for a protein chain that is 100 amino acids long?

300

tRNA molecules work to _____.

translate mRNA to produce a specific amino acid sequence

A particular gene does NOT constantly churn out the same protein at all times in every cell. This is true for two reasons. First, _____ can allow one gene to produce several different proteins. Second, genes are constantly being turned on and off through the process of _____.

mRNA processing ... gene regulation

Consider the amino acid sequence methionine-valine-phenylalanine. How many different genetic codes would produce this amino acid sequence?

8

MicroRNA molecules can bind to mRNA transcripts, preventing them from producing proteins.

true

This figure illustrates __________.

a typical signal transduction pathway

Which of the following mutations is LEAST likely to result in harmful changes to cells?

silent mutation

A researcher has identified a mutation in a gene for a protein that is usually 636 amino acids long. The protein product of the mutated gene is only 20 amino acids long. This mutation is probably a __________.

nonsense mutation

A __________ is a lump of abnormal cells that, although growing out of control, remains at its original site.

benign tumor

A _________ is an abnormally growing mass of cells that is actively spreading through the body.

malignant tumor

__________ is the spread of cancer cells from their site of origin to other sites in the body.

metastasis

An individual with a malignant tumor is said to have __________.

cancer

A benign tumor CANNOT spread from its original location.

true

Prior to this new technique, how were mice given cancerous tumors?

The tumors were implanted under the skin.

You are an oncologist. A patient presents with advanced prostate cancer and you follow standard protocol. What do you do?

The patient is treated with chemical castration.

You are an endocrinologist studying new treatments for prostate cancer. You have a patient with an unusually large level of dihydrotestosterone. Which of the following is true?

Your patient's cancer has become resistant to the standard treatment.

Which of the following is true regarding prostate cancer cells?

They can activate and inactivate certain genes.

Your uncle has prostate cancer. Which of the following indicates improvement in his condition?

A decreasing PSA.

For the first time, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering whether to allow the sale of _____.

food from a genetically altered animal

The fish in the video have been genetically engineered to _____.

grow faster

The modified salmon were created by _____.

adding genetic material from a Pacific salmon and an eel-like fish

According to the producers of the genetically modified salmon, the meat _____.

looks and tastes the same as unmodified salmon

What concerns do some consumer groups have about genetically modified fish?

all of the above

How does the company raising these fish claim to prevent the genetically modified fish from breeding with wild fish?

The genetically modified fish are sterile.

Which of the following is an example of a transgenic organism?

a bacterium with human gene for producing insulin

Restriction enzymes __________________________.

cut DNA at specific nucleotide sequences

The process of accurately amplifying a sample of DNA is called __________________________.

the polymerase chain reaction

Gel electrophoresis separates pieces of DNA based on _________.

size

A supplemental appendix is to a book as a ____________ is to a bacterial chromosome.

plasmid

A __________ cuts DNA only at specific nucleotide sequences.

restriction enzyme

If you wanted to visualize the location of a particular gene on a particular chromosome, you might use __________.

a fluorescent nucleotide probe

PCR is used to copy just a relatively small region of DNA, not the entire genome. How do researchers specifically target the region of interest?

They use two primers, each about 15 to 20 nucleotides long, that flank the region of interest.

Through mapping the entire human genome, researchers have learned that only 1.5% of the human genome encodes for proteins.

true

Can you label the events?

Can you identify the structures and molecules involved in translation?