W3-The nature of genes and the genome

Study Notes

Homologous chromosomes: maternal and paternal carry genes, have key structures like telomeres and centromeres, and differ in size and number of exons/introns.
Chromosomes: made up of a double helix of DNA, nucleosomes, and various fiber sizes, carry genes.
Genes: units of heredity, contain instructions for an organism's phenotype, are made up of exons and introns, and come in different sizes and numbers of exons/introns.
Central Dogma: transcription creates mRNA from DNA, and translation produces proteins from mRNA, using different languages of nucleic acid.
DNA and RNA: both nucleic acids, but DNA has deoxyribose sugar and double stranded structure, while RNA has ribose sugar and is mostly single stranded.
DNA structure: composed of nitrogenous bases, deoxyribose sugar, and phosphate groups, forms base pairs through hydrogen bonding, and has specific ratios of bases.
RNA: comes in various types, including messenger (mRNA), transfer (tRNA), ribosomal (rRNA), small nuclear (snRNA), small nucleolar (snoRNA), and small cytoplasmic (scRNA), and plays a role in protein synthesis and gene expression.
DNA vs RNA: DNA forms a double helix and is mostly deoxyribose sugar, while RNA is mostly ribose sugar and is single stranded, except in some viruses.
RNA structure: has a secondary structure with stems and loops, and a complex tertiary structure, especially in transfer RNA (tRNA).
Central Dogma of Molecular Biology: genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to proteins, and the genetic code is universal to all organisms.
Genome: the entire complement of DNA molecules in an organism, controls the generation of proteins and regulates metabolism and response to the environment.