AP Biology Study Guide for Test on DNA, Protein Synthesis, Gene Expression Chapters 13 – 15
Please know:
History of the discovery of DNA: all scientists, their experiments, their conclusions (Griffith, Avery,
Hershey, Chase, Watson, Crick, Wilkins, Franklin, Chargaff)
The complete structure of the DNA molecule: base pairing, purines, pyrimidines, antiparallel nature, 5’ and 3’ ends, Bonding between bases and nucleotides
Replication of DNA: replication forks, role of enzymes (helicase, topoisomerase, ligase, primase, DNA
Polymerase, single strand binding proteins, transcriptions factors, direction elongated, Meselsohn and Stahl experiment, leading and lagging strands, Okazaki fragments
Telomeres – what they are, why they pose a problem in replication, telomerase, application today
DNA packing into chromosomes – types of chromatin, nucleosome packing, role of histones
Development of the function of DNA in synthesis of proteins: Beadle and Tatum experiments, be
able to interpret enzyme pathways, Central Dogma, how modified
Protein Synthesis, transcription and translation, where they occur in eukaryotic cells, enzymes involved,
direction, role of binding factors in eukaryotes, EPA sites in translation, role of ribosomes, types of RNA involved, codons, anticodons, how terminated, polyribosomes. Study diagrams.
Differences in prokaryote and eukaryote protein synthesis.
How to read the Genetic Code Chart (remember based on mRNA codons)
RNA- editing in eukaryotes: exons vs introns, RNA splicing (including alternative splicing), snurps, spliceosomes, ribozymes, evolutionary significance of introns, caps and tails
How are proteins targeted to the ER to make secretory or membrane proteins
Types of mutations in DNA: point mutations (base pair substitutions), frameshift, deletions, duplication – silent, missense, nonsense mutations
The ultimate description of the gene
Control of Gene Expression – prokaryotes – operons, know how they work, difference in inducible and
repressible, difference in negative and positive feedback in their mechanism, CAP
activators, reason for positive control in inducible lac operon
Control of Gene Expression in eukaryotes: why important in eukaryotes, how controlled at each level, chromatin modification (heterochromatin, euchromatin) due to DNA methylation and histone acetylation, enhancers, Importance of proteases, epigenetics (difference in genome and epigenome), how many genes are actually expressed in humans, how many proteins produced
Role of RNAis in gene expression, what levels affected, types of RNAi’s, another type of epigenetics