Wilkerson BIO 2100 Unit 5 Complete Note Guide DNA to Protein (Transcription Translation) – 2026 Graded A+

USLO5.1 Vocabulary to define • DNA- Carrier molecule of all hereditary information • DNA polymerase- Enzyme that makes DNA from a DNA template • Semiconservative Replication- Each original DNA strand is a template from which a new complementary strand is generated. End result is one parental "old" strand and one "new" strand. • Helicase- Separates DNA strands by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the nitrogenous bases • Nucleotides- monomer building blocks of DNA - Adenine, Guanine, Thymine, and Cytosine • Gyrase- enzyme used to relax the supercoiled genome DNA replication What is the Central Dogma of Life? The Central Dogma of Life is the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein. It is the process that is followed by all cells to generate protein. A gene is composed of DNA & transcribed into mRNA & finally translated into a functional protein. The flow of genetic information only works in this direction & never goes in the opposite direction. What are the unique characteristics of the DNA molecule? It is made of nucleotide monomers, adenine, guanine, cytosine, & thymine. DNA is the genetic material that is passed from parent to offspring. DNA is also the molecule that directs & regulates the construction of proteins via genes. How is DNA different in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells? • In eukaryotic cells the DNA is housed within a nucleus and organized in multiple chromosomes. • In prokaryotic cells the DNA is organized in a singular circular chromosome and not contained within a nucleus Why do we say the DNA replication is semiconservative? Semiconservative replication is the creation of a DNA molecule that contains one original strand and a newly synthesized strand. What role do each of these play in DNA replication: This is the process where a cell makes a duplicate copy of its DNA and is completed through the coordination of multiple enzymes. • Helicase- This enzyme separates the DNA strands by breaking the hydrogen bonds between the complementary base pairs. This separation allows stabilizing proteins and other enzymes to gain access to the DNA. • DNA polymerase- This enzyme reads the DNA strand and adds the complementary nucleotide to the growing DNA strand. • DNA gyrase- This enzyme relieves strain on the DNA strand. • Ligase- This enzyme glues DNA fragment strands together. What is the difference in the Leading and Lagging strands in Replication? • The leading strand will be synthesized in a continuous fashion. • The lagging strand gets broken into pieces or fragments.