Download Chapter 8—Microbial Genetics Study Guide NOTE: I will not test you

Chapter 8—Microbial Genetics Study Guide
NOTE: I will not test you on the following topics: Repressible operons, corepressors, cyclic AMP (cAMP),
positive regulation, catabolite repression, Ames test, Griffith’s experiment. I will not ask you to know the
names of the chemical mutagens your book mentions. Just know in a general way what chemical mutagens do
to DNA.
Chapter 8 Study Questions:
1. Define the following terms: Genome, Chromosome, Gene, Genotype, Phenotype.
2. Describe the structure of DNA.
a. What are the two main functions of DNA?
b. What is a nucleotide?
c. What are the four nucleotides in DNA? In RNA?
d. How are nucleotides connected in a DNA strand?
e. How are the two strands of a DNA molecule connected to one another?
f. What is the complementary base pairing rule?
g. What is meant when the two strands of DNA are said to be antiparallel?
3. Describe DNA replication.
a. What is the function of DNA Helicase?
b. What is DNA Polymerase?
c. What is the function of an RNA primer?
d. What is the function of DNA Ligase?
e. Compare and contrast DNA replication in the leading and lagging strands.
f. Why is DNA replication said to be semi-conservative?
4. Describe transcription and translation.
a. What is the function of RNA Polymerase?
b. In prokaryotic cells, where does transcription occur? In eukaryotic cells, where does
transcription occur?
c. Compare and contrast DNA and RNA.
d. What are the roles of mRNA, tRNA, and ribosomes?
e. What are codons?
f. What is the genetic code?
5. Compare and contrast prokaryotic genetics with eukaryotic genetics (introns and exons with respect to
RNA processing).
6. What is the lac operon?
a. Describe its parts and their functions.
b. Is it an inducible or repressible operon?
i. What is the inducer?
7. What is a mutation?
a. What is a base substitution?
b. What is a frameshift mutation?
c. What are silent (neutral), missense, nonsense, adaptive and deleterious mutations?
d. What is a mutagen?
8. Describe vertical and horizontal gene transfer.
9. Describe the following methods of genetic recombination:
a. Crossing over.
b. Transformation in bacteria.
c. Conjugation in bacteria.
d. Transduction in bacteria.
e. Describe how/if plasmids and/or transposons take part in the processes above.