Name: Shannon Kelso

Access ID: smk5736

Week 3 - Exploration Homework - Genome Organization
Use the Epigenetics (Intro only) article in Wikipedia to answer the following question in one or
two sentences.
1. What does the field of epigenetics study and how is it different compared to genetic
studies?
Epigenetics is the study of altering gene expression without changing the actual coding.
Use the Gene (Intro, Structure and Function, Gene Expression Genetic Code sections)
article in Wikipedia to answer the following questions in one or two sentences.
2. What is the difference between a gene and a allele?
A gene is a region of DNA that helps determine a characteristic.
An allele is 1 of 2 or more alternative forms of a gene.
3. What is the actual code of the genetic code?
The genetic code is made up of nucleotides. Three of these nucleotides together are
known as codons which correspond to a certain amino acid.
4. In addition to protein-coding DNA, what other regulatory sequences may be present in a
gene (please be specific)?
Genes can have a promoter sequence, enhancers, & untranslated introns.
5. What two types of molecules typically bind to promoter regions to facilitate transcription?
The molecules that bind to promoter regions are transcription factors & the RNA
polymerase.
6. Enhancers are always located close to the start of a gene. True or False
False. They can also be found at the end of the gene to act as silencers to regulate
transcription.
7. Activator proteins bind to enhancers to increase the initiation rate of transcription, while
Repressor proteins bind to silencers to decrease the initiation rate of transcription.
8. What type of macromolecule are transcription factors?
Trabscription factors are proteins.
9. Looking at the diagram of a typical eukaryotic protein-coding gene, what genetic
components (not modifications) are seen in the mature mRNA (the mRNA used for translation)?
The protein coding region is the only component of mature mRNA.
10. What is an operon? What group of organisms has operons?
An operon is a unit of genes that are regulated together due to similar functions.

11. What is the process of gene expression?

DNA is transcribed to mRNA (messenger) which is then translated into proteins.
12. What are the possible products of gene expression?
Either RNA or protein.
Use the Post-Transcriptional Modification Wikipedia article to answer the following questions in
two sentences or less.
13. What are the three co(post)-transcriptional modifications that occur to mRNA and what is
their main result?
A. 5 capping addition of guanine residue for protection, & association of hnRNP
B. 3 polyadenylation formation of poly-A tail for export, translation, movement,
& transport out of the nucleus
C. RNA splicing pre-mRNA introns are removed & exons reconnect to form
single molecule