BSC2010 Fall 2014 Exam 2 Topic Review guide

Do not expect all or these exact questions to show up on the exam. This is a review of the
topics covered since the start of class, not a guide for the exam. Being able to answer the
questions posed in this sheet will help you review the concepts, ideas and facts that weve
covered and what the exam will be based on. YOU WILL NOT SEE THESE EXACT
QUSTIONS ON THE EXAM. This sheet is based on both the lecture and the assigned
reading in the text. But consider how lab might overlap as well.
Some of the topics coveed in this section of the class require an understanding of the
previous exams topics, for example, understanding DNA and RNA structure is important for
understanding transcription. So a quick review of nucleic acids and replication may be
beneficial to your understanding.
Be able to describe and understand the importance of the following experiments:
Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty
Hershey and Chase
Meselson and Stahl
Beadle and Tatum

Explain what a gene is at the DNA level.
Why is telomerase important and what interesting features does this enzyme have?
What is a nucleosome? Can you describe chromatin?
What is heterochromatin and how is it different than euchromatin?
Can you explain the central dogma to someone in the class so they can understand it?
How was nerospera used to develop the idea of one gene one enzyme which has now been
modified to one gene one gene product?
Describe how an enzyme pathway might be studied much as was done with nerospera.
What sort of data would you interpret for this type of problem? (hint these were on the
last two quizzes and everyone struggled, and we did a song in dance in class regarding).
What is the transcription cycle? What occurs at each step? Can you describe what the E.
Coli RNA polymerase is doing at each step in the cycle? How does transcription in E. coli
differ from Eukaryotic transcription? How is it similar?
What are the four types of RNA and what is the function of each? What polymerases
transcript what type of RNA genes?
BSC2010 Fall 2014 Exam 2 Topic Review guide

What does each of the RNA polymerases do in Eukaryotes?
What is the mediator complex and what are transcriptional activators? Are they the same
thing as the general transcription factors?
What is the template strand and what is the nontemplate strand in transcription? How to
they relate to the coding strand? If you are given a DNA sequence can you convert it to
RNA?
What is a promoter? How is a prokaryotic one different than a eukaryotic one?
Explain how mRNA in eukaryotes is processed. Why might this be important? What
molecules (complexes) are involved?
What are the features of a mature mRNA in eukaryotes and how do they relate to the
features of the primary transcript?
If you are given a segment of DNA can you transcribe it into RNA and then translate it into
protein given a codon table? What is the one codon you need to remember to do this?
Describe the translation cycle. What occurs in each? Pay special attention to what is going
on at initiation.
Compare Translation in Eukaryotes with prokaryotes.
Describe the relationship between tRNA, Ribosomes, and mRNA in translation. Dont forget
about codon anticodon relationships.
If a codon is 5AGG what is the anticodon of the tRNA?
Can you explain what occurs at the A-site, P-site and E-site of the Ribosome?
What is a synthetase? What is its role in the cell? What if they dont work properly? (weve
not gone over this yet, but might on Thursday, but it is in the book).
Can you explain what is meant by degenerate code, a reading frame and ORF?
What is a frame shift mutation, a missense mutation, nonsense mutation and a silent
mutation? Which one will probably change a protein the most?
What is a Ribozyme?

Have you reviewed all the quizzes you took and figured out why you missed certain
questions?
BSC2010 Fall 2014 Exam 2 Topic Review guide

Might be good to double check the questions from the last exam that the class as a whole
struggled with.
Have you thought about how what you are doing in lab relates to the lecture? How was the
central dogma studied in lab? What is a plasmid and what important features must it have?