Study Guide Final Exam Hons. Molecular Genetics 2015

Answer the following questions for each lab in detail. This may be included as part of your Final Exam. THIS IS NOT A PARTNER ASSIGNMENT AND SHOULD NOT BE SIMILAR TO OTHER’S ANSWERS

Micropippetting Lab:

Complete the following conversions

1ul: ___ml

10ul: ___ml

100ul: ___ml

On a digital pipette 2-20 ul what would the numbers be in the window for 7.5ul?

DNA Extraction Lab:

  • Function and location of following organelles: Golgi Bodies, Nucleus, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Mitochondria, Cell membrane, cytoplasm
  • Explain the difference between chromosomes, genes, and DNA.
  • What is DNA composed of?
  • What is the function of proteases in DNA extraction?
  • What is the function of SDS in DNA extraction?

Structure of DNA:

  • Draw the structure of DNA with the backbone and the nitrogenous bases.
  • What are the two major types of bases and what subtypes are present in DNA?
  • What are the three main types of RNA?
  • What are the functions of each in the cell?
  • List the steps of DNA replication?
  • What are the two main steps of Protein synthesis?
  • Where does each step take place in the cell?
  • What is the function of mRNA, tRNA and rRNA?
  • What is the function of free ribosomes in the cytoplasm and ribosomes of the endoplasmic reticulum?
  • What is the relationship between amino acids, polypeptides and proteins?

Genetics Problems:

  • In cattle, the hornless condition (H) is dominant and the horned condition (h) is recessive. A bull without horns is crossed with a cow with horns. Of the four offspring, one (1) is horned and three (3) are hornless. Determine the genotype of the bull and the cow.
  • In humans, widow's peak (W) is dominant over a continuous hairline (w), and short fingers (F) are dominant over long fingers (f). Two individuals with widow's peak and short fingers have a child with continuous hairline and long fingers. Determine the genotype of the parents.
  • A normal woman whose father was a hemophiliac marries a normal man. Determine the genotype of the woman and the man. Determine the possible genotypes for their children. What percent of male and female children would be hemophiliacs? What percent normal? Would any be carriers?
  • A woman with type A blood marries a man with type O blood. They have six children, all of whom have type A blood. What are the probable genotypes of the parents? Could they possibly have a child with type O blood?

Electrophoresis Lab:

  • Why would water not electrolyze by itself?
  • At which electrodes acids and base are formed in the chamber?
  • What is the acid indicator and how does it work?
  • What are two functions of buffer Tris-borate-EDTA?

DNA Fingerprinting Lab:

  • Why do you use the same restriction enzyme in all the samples?
  • How does gel electrophoresis separate the DNA fragments?
  • How do you find the size of the DNA fragments?
  • At which electrode are DNA samples loaded?
  • What is the function of loading dye?

ELISA Lab:

  • What does ELISA stand for?
  • What is the principle based on which ELISA test is designed?
  • What does a positive ELISA result mean?

Transformation Lab:

  • What is a plasmid?
  • What are restriction enzymes? Where are they found and what is their function?
  • What process allows the gene to enter the plasmid? Which enzyme is used to bind the two genes together?
  • Which chemical triggers the gene to make the protein GFP?

GFP Lab

  • Define Proteins and explain the central dogma of biology, (relationship between genes to proteins)
  • List the steps of protein chromatography in simple words explaining the principle.
  • What are the functions of binding buffer, wash buffer and elution buffer, and Equilibration buffer?

DNA Profiling

  • Why do you need to perform PCR on DNA obtained from a Crime Scene?
  • What components do you need to perform PCR?
  • What is in the master mix and why do you need each component?
  • What are the three steps of PCR? What happens at each step?
  • What is the difference between a gene and a locus?
  • Why do forensic labs analyze non-coding DNA and not genes?
  • What is an allele ladder? What is its function in DNA profiling?