December 19, 2017 Journal: What is the difference between how nucleotides are added to the leading and lagging strands in DNA replication?
Mutations, Chromosomes, and Karyotypes
Eukaryotic Chromosomes Made of DNA and protein Function is to pass on traits
When a cell is not dividing, chromosomes are long, thin strands Before division, they get short & thick and form chromosomes
Each organism has a characteristic # of chromosomes Ex. Humans have 46 chromosomes Sexually reproducing organisms have 2 sets with same type of genetic info
Arranged in a karyotype that shows all our 46 chromosomes as 23 pairs
Genes: Sections of chromosomes Vocabulary Genes: Sections of chromosomes Chromatin: DNA + Proteins that make up chromosomes Centromere: The middle of the chromosome that holds the two sister chromatids together
Genes are Sections of Chromosomes
Mutations involve Changes in DNA May be caused by environmental factors called mutagens
Chromosome mutations – affect whole chromosome Mutations may be Chromosome mutations – affect whole chromosome Ex. Trisomy 21 aka Down Syndrome Gene mutations – affect a single gene
Types of gene mutations Substitution - Substitute 1 nucleotide base for another Insertion - Add one or more extra nucleotides Deletion- Remove 1 or more nucleotides
Substitutions are known as point mutations Possibly change 1 amino acid May be “silent” May introduce stop codon Insertion/Deletion result in Frameshift Can change the whole reading frame of the mRNA
Mutations may be Helpful Harmful Neutral Give organism new trait beneficial to their survival Harmful Make them less likely to survive Neutral No affect
Evolution Link: Mutations are the ultimate source of variation