Study Guide and Additional Problems 5

Study Questions
1. Define or explain the following terms:
Semiconservative DNA replication conservative DNA replication

Dispersive DNA replication Meselson Stahl experiment

3 to 5 exonuclease activity origin of replication

5 to 3 synthetic activity replication bubble

replication fork DNA helicase

DNA primase RNA primer

SSB protein DNA ligase

semidiscontinuous DNA replication

Okazaki fragment bi-directional replication

Leading strand lagging strand

Metabolic pathway one gene one enzyme hypothesis

One gene one polypeptide hypothesis PKU

Amino acid polypeptide

Protein enzyme

Sickle cell anemia hemoglobin

Transcription translation

Pre-mRNA mature mRNA

RNA polymerase template strand

tRNA rRNA snRNA

promoter sigma factor

consensus sequence rho-dependent termination

1
rho-independent termination transcription factors

TATA element CAAT element

CG element leader sequence

Trailer sequence intron

Exon 5 cap

poly (A) tail nontranscribed spacer

external transcribed spacer internal control region

gene redundancy anticodon

2. Describe the steps involved in DNA replication, include the enzymes and/or
proteins involved.
3. Outline the basic methods and logic of Beadle and Tatums experiments. Why are
their results important?

Recommended problems from chapter 3: 3.1 - 6, 9 - 18, 20, 26, 34 - 36

Recommended problems from chapter 4: 4.1 - 9, 12 - 14, 17, 19 - 21

Recommended problems from chapter 5: 5.1 - 11, 13 - 15, 18, 22 - 24

Additional Problems
1. The following growth responses (+ = growth, 0 = no growth) of mutant strains 1-4
were seen on the related biosynthetic intermediates A E (i.e. A E are
hypothesized to be intermediates in a biochemical/metabolic pathway):
Growth on:
strain A B C D E
mutant 1 0 0 0 0 +
mutant 2 + 0 0 0 +
mutant 3 + 0 + + +
mutant 4 + 0 + 0 +

Assume all intermediates are able to enter the cell, that each mutant strain carries only
one mutation and that the pathway is linear (no branches). What is the sequence of the
biosynthetic intermediates in the pathway?

2
 2. Three unlinked genes encode three enzymes that catalyze the same reaction in
ultramaroons:

x+ y+ z+
colorless purple
compound compound

A. The normal functioning of any one of these three genes is enough to

catalyze the reaction. The nonfunctional forms of these genes are
designated x, y and z. A purple x+x+ y+y+ z+z+ is crossed with a colorless xx
yy zz to give a purple F1. The F1 is selfed. What proportion of the F2 will
be colorless?
B. Another, independently sorting gene is involved with the pathway:

a+ x+ y+ z+
colorless colorless purple
compound 1 compound 2 compound

A purple a+a+ x+x+ y+y+ z+z+ is crossed with a colorless aa xx yy zz to give

a purple F1. The F1 is selfed. What proportion of the F2 will be colorless?

3. Choose the correct answers, noting that each blank may have more than one correct
answer and that each answer (1 through 4) can be used more than once.

Answers: 1. eukaryotic mRNAs

2. prokaryotic mRNAs
3. transfer RNAs
4. ribosomal RNAs

_________ a. have a cloverleaf structure

_________ b. are synthesized by RNA polymerases
_________ c. display one anticodon each
_________ d. are the template of genetic information during protein synthesis
_________ e. contain exons and introns
_________ f. are capped on their 5 end and polyadenylated on their 3 end