Molecular Biology Quiz on DNA and Vaccines
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Questions and Answers

What is the amount of purines lost per day in a mammalian cell?

  • 5,000 purines
  • 20,000 purines
  • 15,000 purines
  • 10,000 purines (correct)
  • Which of the following describes an effect of alkylating agents on DNA?

  • They increase the stability of DNA structures.
  • They enhance DNA replication.
  • They cause DNA damage. (correct)
  • They create cyclobutane uracil dimers.
  • Which of these processes is involved in DNA modification by exogenous damage?

  • Mutations (correct)
  • Translation
  • Transcription
  • Splicing
  • Which of the following is NOT a step in the natural process of DNA replication?

    <p>Modification</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of protected phosphoramidites in DNA synthesis?

    <p>To facilitate selective protection during synthesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which sequencing method is mentioned as part of the learning module?

    <p>Sanger sequencing</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of dimer is formed due to radiation damage in DNA?

    <p>Cyclobutane uracil dimer</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is NOT a goal of chemically synthesizing DNA?

    <p>Increasing mutation rates</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a key advantage of nucleic acid vaccines?

    <p>They can be produced quickly</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which component is necessary for mRNA vaccines to effectively enter cells?

    <p>Cholesterol</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What disadvantage is associated with nucleic acid vaccines?

    <p>They need to be stored at cold temperatures</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which mRNA product is an example of a personalized vaccine for cancer?

    <p>Biontech BNT111</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How has the design process for mRNA vaccines improved according to recent developments?

    <p>Increased thermostability</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the optimisation of delivery vectors for nucleic acid vaccines focus on?

    <p>Enhancing the delivery of mRNA into cells</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one example of a latent virus targeted by future nucleic acid vaccines?

    <p>HIV</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characteristic of mRNA makes it challenging to handle in vaccine formulations?

    <p>It is unstable and negatively charged</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What happens to the hydrogen bonds during the denaturation of DNA?

    <p>They are broken, leading to strand separation.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor does NOT increase the melting temperature (Tm) of nucleic acid?

    <p>Higher concentration of UV light</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What occurs during the annealing process in DNA?

    <p>Separated strands rejoin under appropriate conditions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What type of base pairing is associated with a DNA dimer?

    <p>Watson-Crick base pairing</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which type of structure is RNA more stable than DNA by approximately 20 °C?

    <p>RNA duplex</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role does a template strand play in DNA replication?

    <p>It serves as a guide for synthesizing the daughter strand.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following does NOT represent a method by which DNA can be modified?

    <p>Molecular denaturation</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the consequence of melting temperature (Tm) increasing?

    <p>DNA strands are less likely to separate.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the first step in engineering a nucleic acid vaccine?

    <p>Identify a target antigen and epitope</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is an example of an mRNA-based vaccine?

    <p>Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How does mRNA enter the cells during the process of vaccination?

    <p>Endocytosis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In recombinant technology, what is a significant challenge that may arise?

    <p>All of the above</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the purpose of designing a DNA/mRNA sequence in vaccine development?

    <p>To instruct cells to produce a target epitope</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following accurately describes the difference between a nucleobase, a nucleoside, and a nucleotide?

    <p>A nucleobase is a nitrogenous base, a nucleoside is a nucleobase linked to a sugar, and a nucleotide is a nucleoside linked to one or more phosphate groups.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary reason nucleobases absorb UV light at 250–270 nm?

    <p>Due to π to π* electronic transitions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which statement accurately describes tautomers in nucleobases?

    <p>Tautos differ in the location of protons and can exist in solution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following correctly identifies the structure of ribofuranose?

    <p>A five-membered ring structure containing ribose sugar.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the acid dissociation constant (Ka) indicate in nucleic acids?

    <p>The degree of ionization of an acid in solution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which feature of pyrimidine bases enhances their hydrogen bonding capabilities?

    <p>They act as strong H-bond donors and acceptors.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following statements about the N-glycosidic bond in nucleotides is correct?

    <p>It is formed between the nitrogenous base and a pentose sugar.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What role does effective photoprotection play concerning nucleobases?

    <p>It helps maintain the integrity of genetic information by decaying excited states quickly.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common characteristic of purine bases at pH 7?

    <p>They are neutral molecules with good H-bond properties.</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the process that makes purification easier after each step in oligonucleotide synthesis?

    <p>Solid phase synthesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    In the context of oligonucleotide synthesis, what is the typical efficiency required for high-yield synthesis?

    <p>0.995</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the probability of successful synthesis after 30 coupling steps at an efficiency of 0.995?

    <p>86%</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a primary component used in the DNA sequencing process known as the Sanger technique?

    <p>dNTPs</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the role of dideoxynucleotides in the Sanger sequencing method?

    <p>Terminating DNA chain synthesis</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What does the term 'massive parallel sequencing' refer to?

    <p>Next-generation sequencing (NGS)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is the primary feature of capillary electrophoresis in the Sanger technique?

    <p>Fluorescence detection</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What problem does dimethoxytrityl specifically protect against during synthesis?

    <p>Multiple additions</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Study Notes

    Lecture 1 - Building Blocks of Nucleic Acids

    • Nucleic acids are made up of nucleobases, nucleosides, and nucleotides.
    • Nucleobases are nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic molecules (derivatives of pyrimidine or purine).
    • Nucleosides are composed of a nucleobase linked to a pentose sugar (ribose or deoxyribose).
    • Nucleotides are composed of a nucleobase, a pentose sugar, and one or more phosphate groups.
    • Nucleobases are planar or almost planar structures.
    • Nucleobases absorb UV light around 250-270 nm.
    • Excited states of common nucleobases decay rapidly due to radiationless transitions, which effectively protects genetic material.
    • Hydrogen bonds are important for base pairing.
    • Acid dissociation constant (Ka) is a measure of the strength of an acid.
    • pKa = -log Ka
    • Strong acids have high Ka and low pKa values.
    • Weak acids have low Ka and high pKa values.
    • Purine bases include adenine and guanine, they are good H-bond donors and acceptors.
    • Pyrimidine bases include cytosine, thymine, and uracil, they are good H-bond donors and acceptors.
    • Tautomerism is discussed (keto-enol and lactam-lactim).
    • Ribofuranose (ribose) and deoxyribose are discussed.
    • β-N-Glycosidic bond is important for linking nucleobases to the sugar.
    • The bond is formed to position N1 in pyrimidines and to position N9 in purines.
    • This bond is stable toward hydrolysis, especially in pyrimidines.

    Lecture 2 - Structure of Nucleic Acids

    • Nucleic acid strands interact in different ways to form stable structures e.g., DNA/RNA dimers, trimers, and G-quadruplex.
    • Watson-Crick base pairs are the predominant interactions in double-stranded DNA (A with T, G with C).
    • Hoogsteen base pairs are formed by hydrogen bonds with more than two bases.
    • Hairpins, cruciforms, and other interactions form more complex structures.
    • DNA denaturation involves breaking hydrogen bonds; UV absorbance increases.
    • RNA often forms more complex structures than DNA.
    • RNA duplex is more stable than DNA at higher temperatures, and more robust to degradation.
    • DNA strand separation, elongation, and termination are discussed at length.
    • Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is a method used to replicate DNA in a lab setting.
    • Steps involved in PCR are discussed.

    Lecture 3 - DNA replication

    • DNA replication is the process of copying DNA.
    • The process of DNA replication in nature involves initiation, elongation, and termination.
    • The method of replicating DNA in vitro (PCR) is described.
    • DNA modification by biochemical processes (epigenetics) is described.
    • DNA modification by exogenous damage (mutations) is described.

    Lecture 4 - DNA (chemical) synthesis and sequencing

    • Chemical synthesis of DNA uses protected nucleotides and special coupling cycles.
    • Sanger sequencing, Illumina sequencing, and nanopore sequencing are described.

    Lecture 5 - DNA Transcription

    • DNA is converted into RNA through transcription.
    • The central dogma of molecular biology is explained.
    • Transcription initiation, elongation, and termination are described.
    • Post-transcriptional processing: sequence capping and splicing are described.
    • Reverse transcription is mentioned.

    Lecture 6 - Bioinformatics

    • Bioinformatics is the study of biological data.
    • Various "omics" approaches (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) are used.
    • Common bioinformatics tasks such as sequence alignment and database searching are described.
    • Online databases such as GenBank and UniProt are introduced.

    Lecture 7 - RNA Translation

    • RNA translation is the process of converting RNA into proteins.
    • Codons, codon tables, codon usage are explained.
    • tRNA construction and the wobble hypothesis are described.
    • Ribosome structures, translation process, and polysomes are covered.

    Lecture 8 - Recombinant Technology

    • Recombinant technology involves creating modified DNA that doesn't naturally occur.
    • Steps in recombinant protein expression and induction using IPTG are listed.

    Lecture 9 - Newest research

    • Nucleic-acid based vaccines are further explored.
    • De novo protein design, and research from the Rhys Lab (Ben Orton) are mentioned.

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    Description

    Test your knowledge on molecular biology concepts including DNA replication, chemical synthesis, and nucleic acid vaccines. This quiz covers key effects of alkylating agents, radiation damage, and advancements in mRNA vaccine design. Ideal for students studying molecular biology at an advanced level.

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