BSC 219

Study Guide 2

 

Recombination and chromosome mapping:  You should know and understand the following:

            How to calculate recombination frequencies.

            How to determine if linked alleles are in coupling or repulsion configuration

            How to construct linkage maps using Two-point test crosses

            How to construct linkage maps using Three-point test crosses

            How deletion mapping and somatic cell hybrids can be used to map loci.

 

 

Bacterial and viral genetics: You should know and understand the following:

            The nature of a typical bacterial genome

            The three major types of horizontal transfer of DNA and how each works.

Why transformation is typically coupled with facilitated or directed mutation.

            The roles of plasmids in conjugation and evolution of antibiotic resistance

            How viruses replicate

            Common genomes of viruses

            What is special about retroviruses and an example of a retrovirus

            What is lysogeny or latency

 

 

Chromosomal variations: You should know and understand the following:

            Chromosomal designation by centromere location

Deletions, Insertions, Inversions and Translocations and how each can occur.

            What is meant by reciprocal or nonreciprocal translocation

            What is a Robertsonian translocation

            What is nondisjunction, when can it occur, and how does the timing affect the outcome

            Aneuploidy and Polyploidy and what each is

            Common aneuploidies in humans

            How one form of Down syndrome can be passed through families

 

DNA:  You should know and understand the following:

            The basic structure of nucleotides found in RNA and DNA

            How nucleotides are linked to form nucleic acids

            How DNA strands are held together

            Complementary base pairing

            Experiments that demonstrated DNA was the genetic material

            Similarities and differences between DNA and RNA

 

Chromatin and Chromosome structure: You should know and understand the following:

            How DNA is compacted in prokaryotes and eukaryotes

            Histone proteins and their roles in compaction

            How supercoiling works

            Chromatin relaxing or chromosome puffing during transcription

            Euchromatin and heterochromatin

            Unique DNA sequences and gene families

            The characteristics of telomeres and centromeres

            How direct repeat flanking sites are formed during insertion of transposons

            The characteristics of transposable elements

            How insertion of transposable elements can affect gene expression

            Highly repetitive sequences in the genome

How repetitive sequences or transposons can facilitate chromosomal rearrangements like deletions, inversion, and translocations.

            Regulation of transposase activity

 

DNA Replication:  You should know and understand the following:

            The nature of semiconservative replication

            Theta, rolling circle, and linear replication

            Requirements for DNA replication

            Direction of replication and how this produces leading and lagging strands

Components in Prokyaryotic and Eukaryotic DNA replication and their functions

            Replication of telomeres and telomerase activity