Molecular
Biology
Thought
Questions for Exam 2
1. What is the
function of a promoter? Where is a
promoter located? What is the function
of a core promoter? Where is a core
promoter located?
2. What are enhancers and silencers? Where are they located? What are their functions?
3. Describe
the initiation of transcription. Name and
describe the function(s) of all enzymes, molecules, and structures that are
involved in each process.
4. What are RNA polymerases? Where do they bind? What are their functions?
5. Why do
eukaryotic cells need to undergo co-transcriptional modifications? Name and describe the function(s) of all the
different co-transcriptional modifications.
Name and describe the function(s) of all enzymes, molecules, and
structures that are involved in each process.
6. What is the
difference between a Primary (or Pre-mRNA) transcript and a mature mRNA? Where is each found? What is the relationship between the two?
7. What are
heterogeneous nuclear RNA’s? Where are
they found?
8. What is a spliceosome? What is
a pre-spliceosome?
What is a small nuclear RNA? What
is a small nuclear ribonucleoprotein (or snRNP)? Name
examples of snRNP's and describe the function(s) of
each. What is a ribozyme?
9. How is
transcription terminated in a eukaryotic cell?
Describe the process of Polyadenylation. Name and describe the function(s) of
all enzymes, molecules, and structures that are involved in each process.
10. What is
meant by upstream and downstream in Molecular Biology?
11. What is the
direction of mRNA synthesis? What is the
direction of the template used?
12. What is RNA
interference? Describe the mechanism of
this process. Why is this process needed
in the eukaryotic cell? What is
post-transcriptional gene silencing?
13. What
is/are the difference(s) between Transcription Factors and General
Transcription Factors?
14. What is a
cryptic splicing site? What is/are the
difference(s) between Constitutive RNA Splicing and Alternative RNA
Splicing? Why are both required?
15. Name and
describe the function(s) of all known types of RNA.
16. Name and
describe the functions of each type of Co-transcriptional modification.