Genetics 301
Study Guide for final exam
The final exam is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19, from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. I will be in room 106 at 7:30 a.m. on April 19; so, you may arrive at 7:30 a.m. to begin your exam if you wish. This exam is worth 200 points (20% of your final grade). About 100 points of this exam will be dedicated to material from chapters 18-21; the remaining 100 points will be dedicated to material from chapters 2-17. This exam will be similar in format to other tests you have taken in this class. Below I've listed 2 potential questions for which you should be well prepared to answer (Hint: these will be a part of the exam!). I've also listed the some topics of each chapter--the topics I would like you to review for the exam. Please let me know if you've got questions.
Potential exam questions:
- Name one person who has made a significant contribution to the field of genetics. Describe this person's contributions. Why are they so significant? (That is, how have his/her contributions influenced the entire discipline of genetics? How have his/her contribution influenced other disciplines, such as medicine, social science, etc.?)
- During this semester, we've studied classical genetics (or Mendelian genetics), molecular genetics, and population genetics. How are these areas of genetics interconnected (How are they related to each other and how are they dependent upon each other)? Give several examples. Why is it important to study classical, molecular, and population genetics in a genetics course?
Mitosis and Meiosis (chapter 3)
- How does meiosis differ from mitosis?
- Be able to explain meiosis (I and II) in the detail presented in text/class.
DNA structure and replication (chapter 9)
- What features of DNA did Watson and Crick describe in their 1953 paper about DNA (see pages 206-207)?
- Be able to describe the machinery (molecules) involved in and the process of DNA replication in prokaryotes. Some very important structures include the replication origin, primosome, DNA pol III, Okazaki fragments, ligases, and exonucleases. Why are these structures necessary?
Transcription (chapter 10)
- What is the central dogma of biology? How has is been modified since Crick first presented it in the 1950s?
- Be familiar with the process of transcription in prokaryotes (initiation, elongation, termination).
- What are the functions of mRNAs, tRNAs, and rRNAs? What are the structural differences between these RNAs in prokaryotes?
- Compare and contrast transcription in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
- Be able to describe post-transcriptional modifications of pre-mRNA in eukaryotes.
Translation (chapter 11)
- Review the process of translation--initiation, elongation, and termination.
- The genetic code is redundant. What does this mean? Can you think of any reasons why it should be redundant? (How this is adaptive?)
Mendelian genetics and probability (chapter 2 and chapter 4)
- Be able to explain how a mutation in a gene may influence a phenotype.
- What are Mendel's principles of inheritance? How do they relate to the formation of gametes in meiosis?
- Be familiar with the following modes of inheritance: multiple alleles, incomplete dominance, co-dominance, epistasis, and incomplete penetrance.
Sex determination and sex linkage (Chapter 5)
- How is sex determined in humans? And, how is dosage compensated for in humans?
- Be able to solve problems of sex-linkage and pedigree analysis.
Linkage and mapping in eukaryotes (chapter 6)
- Be able to design an experiment to test for linkage in diploid organisms (e.g., fruit flies). Be able to analyze results, also (with Chi-square analysis).
Linkage and mapping in prokaryotes (chapter 7)
- Explain why transformation, conjugation, and/or transduction are useful for mapping genes in prokaryotes (what are these forms of genetic exchange?).
Mutation and DNA repair (chapter 16)
- How do mutations arise? Compare and contrast spontaneous mutagenesis, chemical mutagenesis, misalignment mutagenesis, and UV radiation.
- How is DNA repaired? Be familiar with direct mechanisms of repair, general excision repair, specific excision repair, mismatch repair, SOS response, and recombinational repair.
Chromosomal mutations (chapter 8)
- Understand the consequences of single breaks in chromatids/chromosomes, double breaks in chromosomes, and double breaks in 2 non-homologous chromosomes.
Recombinant DNA technology (chapter 12)
- Be familiar with the major new tools/techniques used by researchers to study genes (RFLP analysis, PCR, cloning, gel electrophoresis and Southern blotting, etc.)
- What is ELSI and why is it a significant part of the HGP?
Control of gene expression in prokaryotes (chapter 13)
- What are operons? How are operons controlled (be able to give specific examples of such control)?
- What are the post-transcriptional controls of genes in prokaryotes?
Eukaryotic Chromosome structure (chapter 14)
- What are telomeres and what are their functions?
- Why is telomerase an important enzyme?
Control of gene expression in eukaryotes (chapter 15)
- Be familiar with the gradient hypothesis of development.
- How does rearrangement of the genome explain the diversity of antibodies made in many animals?
- What is methylation and how does it play a role in control of gene expression?
- What is cancer and what are the common characteristics of cancer?
- Compare and contrast oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes (be able to give examples of each type).
- Explain why cancer is a genetic disease.
Non-Mendelian genetics (chapter 17)
- Compare and contrast cytoplasmic inheritance (e.g., mtDNA and chloroplast DNA) with maternal effects genes.
- How are genes imprinted, and how might cancer be related to imprinting?
Quantitative genetics (chapter 18)
- What do we mean by the phrase "quantitative genetics?"
- What is heritability (in the broad and in the narrow sense)? Be able to define heritability in the broad and narrow senses.
- Be able to use correlations between relatives to calculate heritability and be able to interpret data from such calculations.
Population genetics (chapter 19, 20)