Cartoon:

In the comic, an mRNA strand glares at a smug looking DNA strand. The mRNA says "I'm telling you, Carol.

Amoeba sisters comic of mRNA and DNA

I'm DONE being this guy's messenger boy. He can leave the nucleus and do it himself for all I care!"

What differences between DNA and RNA can you learn from the comic?

Why is the mRNA calling itself a "messenger?" What message does it carry?

DNA, RNA, Proteins

Last week we learned the basics about eukaryotic cells, prokaryotic cells and viruses. Now we need to examine each of these structures in more detail. Specifically, we are going to learn about how DNA controls cells' functions by controlling which proteins get made in a cell. In lab, we will delve into one particular group of proteins, called enzymes.

Learning Objectives

By the end of the module, students will be able to:

Identify the key features of DNA and RNA- What are they made of? what roles do they fill for living organisms)? What are chromosomes, genes, alleles, mRNA, ribosomes?
Explain the relationship between DNA, RNA, proteins and phenotype/traits: How does the DNA get transcribed into RNA? How does the RNA get translated into protein? What is the relationship between the DNA sequence of a gene and the mRNA sequence and the protein amino acid sequence? What is the relationship between proteins amino acid sequence, protein folding and protein function?
Apply the principle of structure and function to proteins: What are they made of? What are the differences between amino acids? How does the amino acid sequence affect folding? How does folding affect shape? How does shape affect function?
Apply information about proteins to enzymes . What is their function? How does the amino acid sequence determine the folding, shape and shape of the active site? What is the function of the active site? How does the amino acid sequence of the enzyme determine the specificity of the enzyme? How do enzymes affect chemical reactions? Are enzymes reusable? Are enzyme specific? How does temperature affect the activity and function of an enzyme? Do all enzymes have the same temperature optimum?

Short Answer Questions:

This question is open book, open notes AND you may work on it with anyone you would like - myself, fellow student, tutor, etc BUT,

your answers MUST be in your own words.
if you use Chat GPT, you must use citations and references to give credit to the AI engine. (How to Cite Generative AI)
You must submit a photo of your in class work on these questions in addition to your answers.

DNA, RNA and Protein Question 1

Create a series of drawings that show

- - - the process of copying DNA into RNA- this should be 2-3 drawings showing the process from start to finish. Make sure to label all of the important pieces of the puzzle including location in the cell.
    - the process of copying mRNA into protein- this will also take 2-3 drawings and require lots of labeling!

DNA, RNA and Protein Question 2

SARS-Cov2 mutates often (like many viruses) to create new variants. Most of these mutations don’t have any effect on the virus. But some mutations do make a big impact on the virus’ function. Explain why this is the case using your knowledge of DNA, RNA, Proteins and mutations.

You can use the examples from the mutation activity in class to help you explain.