a) Are there any similarities between how DNA and RNA are synthesized? What abou
ID: 17007 • Letter: A
Question
a) Are there any similarities between how DNA and RNA are synthesized? What about comparing nucleic acid synthesis to protein synthesis?b)If you wanted to increase the level of transcription of a gene of interest, what are some of the things you could alter in the cell to do this? (hint: it could involve DNA, proteins, etc.) How would your answer vary if the cell was bacterial vs. eukaryotic?
c)How does the proofreading capability differ for the major enzymes involved in each “step” of the central dogma? What is the biological significance of these differences?
Explanation / Answer
DNA does not usually exist as a single molecule, but instead as a tightly-associated pair of molecules. These two long strands entwine like vines, in the shape of a double helix. This arrangement of DNA strands is called antiparallel. The asymmetric ends of DNA strands are referred to as the 5' (five prime) and 3' (three prime) ends. One of the major differences between DNA and RNA is the sugar, with 2-deoxyribose being replaced by the alternative pentose sugar ribose in RNA. The four bases found in DNA are adenine (abbreviated A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T). A fifth pyrimidine base, called uracil (U), usually takes the place of thymine in RNA and differs from thymine by lacking a methyl group on its ring.
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