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Molecular Biotechnology

Subject : engineering
Instructions:
  • Answer 50 questions in 15 minutes.
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This is a study tool. The 3 wrong answers for each question are randomly chosen from answers to other questions. So, you might find at times the answers obvious, but you will see it re-enforces your understanding as you take the test each time.
1. Genes for products that are required at all times.






2. 1. Synthesis of commercial products by recombinant organisms 2. Biopolymers 3. Bioremediation 4. Biomass utilization






3. The small ribosomal subunit binds to 5'-G cap on processed mRNA (no RBS) - uses met instead of fmet for initiation; monocistronic translation






4. 1. Nucleic acid hybridization: (a) bind single stranded DNA to a membrane support - (b) add single stranded labeled DNA (probe) under appropriate conditions - (c) wash the support to remove excess unbound labeled probe DNA - (d) detect the hybrid seq






5. Operator site - araC binds to this site and represses its own transcription from the PC promoter. In the presence of arabinose - araC bound at this site helps to activate expression of Pbad promoter






6. Gene products decrease in concentration under particular molecular circumstances






7. Start codon is usually ATG - first amino acid is n - formyl- methionine. It is assisted by initiation factors (IF) and requires ribosomal binding sites (RBS). It is a polycistronic protein translation (operon).






8. A haploid organism that is diploid for a small region of the chromosome (partial diploid)






9. Need to remove introns before changing into mRNA - then take mRNA out of the nucleus. Has 3 RNAP (RNAP I synthesizes rRNA - II synthesizes mRNA - III synthesizes tRNA and small rRNA). Transcription factors are similar to sigma factors.






10. Polymerase binds to lac promoter weakly by itself and results in low levels of transcription even in the absence of lacI. The activator recruits the polymerase to the promoter region and increases its affinity for the promoter






11. Chromosome (contains host genetic information) - plasmids (prokaryotes; small - self- replicating DNA; supercoil) - free nucleotides






12. 1. Capping: 5' phosphate capped by 7- methyl guanosine and is a 5'-5' linkage instead of 5'-3' This makes RNA more stable 2. Intron removal 3. Export to cytoplasm 4. Polyadenylated mRNA precursor






13. EF-Tu GTP binds with an aminoacyl- tRNA and brings it to the ribosome. Once the correct aminoacyl- tRNA is positioned in the ribosome - GTP is hydrolyzed and EF-Tu* GDP dissociates away from the ribosome






14. Nonsense mutation in gene that results in truncated protein can be lethal. Sometimes a second mutation arises that counteracts the effects of the mutation. Amber stop codon (UAG/TAG/etc) and amber suppressor tRNA (CUA/etc) can restore protein size an






15. Operator site; araC bound at this site can simultaneously bind to the araI site to repress transcription from Pbad promoter






16. A cell that contains a nucleus and membrane bound organelles






17. A segment of DNA molecule contains the information required for synthesis of a functional biological product






18. In prokaryotes - related genes often arrayed in tandem. A unit of bacterial gene expression and regulation - recognized by a regulator gene product






19. The process of increasing the expression of inducible genes






20. Release DNA - rewind DNA - release RNA; stop signals or rho mediated termination (hairpin is a palindromic GC- rich region followed by an AT- rich region; Rho is a termination factor that binds to nascent RNA) RNAP has sigma factor that recognizes pr






21. The process in which an exact copy of the double strand DNA is made. It is a templated process and occurs from 5' to 3' end. DNAP - RNA primer; semiconservative (each strand is a template for the replication of the complementary strand)






22. In the presence of glucose and lactose - bacteria grows first on glucose - then growth levels off - and starts growing on lactose. You have diauxie growth because (1) CAP helps recruit RNAP. in the presence of glucose - CAMP is low so it can't bind t






23. Determines amino acid selection. A noncognate amino acid charge incorrectly to the tRNA will be inserted into the protein. Introduce new amino acid by using tRNA for UAG.






24. Codes for three enzymes needed to catalyze the metabolism of arabinose. The operon is regulated by araC gene product.






25. Binds to CAP binding site. In conjunction with araC bound with arabinose - it assists RNAP in binding to the Pbad promoter






26. 1. mRNA - template for protein synthesis 2. tRNA - carrier of amino acid (the adaptor)3. aminoacyl- tRNA synthetase - pairs tRNA with the cognate amino acid - needs ATP 4. ribosome - site of protein synthesis - read in three frames - start codon is A






27. 1. LacI- makes an internal inducer -- NO. Found that lacI- doesn't dominate over lacI+ and is not always constitutive. 2. LacI- is a repressor protein -- YES. LacI+ dominates over lacI- because when both are together - lac operon is inducible. LacI m






28. LacY: Transports lactose into the cell LacZ: B- galactosidase LacA: transacetylase LacI: lacI+ cells fully inducible - lacI- were already induced and not responsive to IPTG X- gal: analog of lactose that turns blue when cleaved by lacZ product and o






29. The repressor dimer (aporepressor) can't bind to the repressor. Transcription from the promoter is not stopped. When tryptophan is bound to the repressor dimer - the repressor changes configuration so that it can bind to the operator and transcriptio






30. Select correct ribonucleotides; loss of sigma factor - transcription bubble - no need for primers






31. Reverse Transcriptase






32. Gene products increase in concentration under particular molecular circumstances






33. Operons transcribed as single mRNA and mRNA codes for more than one protein.






34. C - N - O - H make up 99% cell weight - 70% is water






35. Comprised of >50 proteins associated with rRNA units. Site of protein synthesis and binds mRNA and finds protein synthesis initiation sites. It also binds aa- tRNA and catalyzes peptide bond formation.






36. Eukaryotic. mRNA that codes for one protein






37. TrpE through trpA are five enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of the amino acid tryptophan from chorismic acid. If the cell has enough tryptophan - then it doesn't need to waste energy transcribing this mRNA. In the presence of tryptophan - the oper






38. A strand segment complementary to the template with a free 3'OH group






39. Structural and functional units of life. All organisms are made of cells - all cells are derived from preexisting cells - the purpose of a microorganism is to make another microorganisms as quickly as possible; alter metabolism of microorganism to ma






40. 1. Ethidium bromide staining 2. P32 - P33 radioactivity 3. Fluorescence 4. Agarose gel electrophoresis






41. Important to suppress mutations at 3rd position and you don't need to have a lot of stop codons; cells can be more flexible






42. When arabinose is absent - there is no need to express the structural genes. AraC does this by binding simultaneously to araI and araO2 - making a looped DNA. This blocks access to Pbad promoter. AraC is an autoregulator of its own expression and the






43. A unicellular organism that lacks a nucleus and membrane bound organelles






44. Attenuation






45. Production of commercial products generated by the metabolic actions of microorganisms.






46. The first two bases of the codon always form strong Watson -Crick base- pairing. The first base in the anticodon determines the number of codons a tRNA can recognize. The first position in anticodon is often modified to inosine to facilitate wobble b






47. 4. Cells + organelle 3. Supermolecular complexes 2. Macromolecules 1. Monomeric units






48. 1. Initiation: unwind DNA at the origin of replication (ori) - bidirectional replications; regulated as required for cell division 2. Elongation: requires RNA primer to replicate 3. Termination: signaled by Ter sequence






49. Expression levels rise and fall in response to molecular signals






50. 1. mRNA: encodes genetic information 2. tRNA: transfer RNA - involved in protein synthesis (DNA to amino acids) 3. rRNA: ribosome RNA - involved in protein synthesis (polypeptide formation) 4. Ribozymes and RNAi - Can store genetic information and ca