Self Quiz on DNA Basics

1. When DNA is duplicated in a cell, each new molecule consists of one old strand and one new strand. This type of replication is called

*    semi-conservative

2. Each strand of a DNA molecule (when linear) has a phosphate attached to the 5' carbon of the deoxyribose at one end and a free OH group on the 3'carbon at the other end. The two strands of DNA are oriented in opposite directions. This is referred to as being

*    anti-parallel

3. The process in which an RNA polymerase makes an RNA copy of the anti-sense strand of the DNA is called

*    transcription

4. The area in a bacterial cell which contains the DNA  is called the

*    nucleoid. Prokaryotes have no nucleus.

5. A mRNA has the sequence AUAACG. The mRNA is complementray to the antisense strand of the DNA. What is the sequence of bases on the corresponding sense strand of the DNA?

*    ATAACG

6. Ribosomes make proteins using the information found in a mRNA. This process is called

*    translation

7. We discussed 7 types of plasmids in class. What are they?

*    Fertility (F), Resistance (R), tumor-inducing (Ti), metabolic, bacteriocin, virulence, and crytptic

8. In what type of organism does the tumor-inducing plasmid (Ti plasmid) cause tumors?

*    In plants. that is why it is so useful in agricultural genetic engineering, because it transfer genes to plants.

9. Because DNA polymerases only work in one direction, DNA replication of one of the 2 strands (the lagging strand) has to run away from the replication fork and be discontinuous. As a result, in has multiple primers, producing pieces of RNA and DNA called

*    Okazaki fragments

10. The majority of bacteria have DNA which is in what basic shape?

*    Circular