Genome Organization and Control
Genome Organization and Control
Genome Organization and Control
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21128/
What is a gene ?
Definitions
1. Classical definition: Portion of a DNA that determines a
single character (phenotype)
2. One gene one enzyme (Beadle & Tatum 1940): Every
gene encodes the information for one enzyme
3. One gene one protein: One gene contains information
for one protein (structural proteins included) one gene
one polypeptide
4. Current definition: A piece of DNA (or in some cases RNA)
that contains the primary sequence to produce a
functional biological gene product (RNA, protein).
Gene classification
intergenic
region
coding genes
non-coding
genes
Chromosome
(simplified)
Messenger RNA
Structural RNA
Proteins
transfer
RNA
Structural proteins
Enzymes
ribosomal
RNA
other
RNA
Cellular Genomes
Viruses Procaryotes
Eucaryotes
Nucleus
Capsid
Plasmids
Viral genome
Bacterial
chromosome
Chromosomes
(Nuclear genome)
Mitochondrial
genome
Chloroplast
genome
Genome: all of an organisms genes plus intergenic DNA
Intergenic DNA = DNA between genes
Prokaryote genomes
Example: E. coli
89% coding
4,285 genes
122 structural RNA genes
Eukaryotic genome
Chromosomes
genes
Coding region
en.wikipedia.org
Levels of chromatin
packing.
Diagram and transmission
electron micrographs
In a mitotic
chromosome,
the looped domains
coil and fold to
produce the
characteristic
metaphase
chromosome.
These packing steps
are highly specific and
precise with particular
genes
located in the same
places.
Eukaryotic genes
Eukaryotic genome
Example: C. Elegans
Transparent nematode (roundworm), about
1 mm in length, which lives in temperate soil
environments. Research into
the molecular and developmental
biology of C. elegans was begun in 1974
by Sydney Brenner and it has since been
used extensively as a model organism
10 chromosomes
19,099 genes
Coding region 27%
Average of 5 introns/gene
Both long and short duplications
en.wikipedia.org
HUMAN GENOME
Nuclear genome
3200 Mbp
65-80000 genes
30%
Genes and generelated sequences
Mitochondrial genome
16.6 kb
37 genes
70%
Extragenic
DNA
Two rRNA
genes
Pseudogenes
Noncoding
DNA
Gene
fragments
Introns,
untranslated
sequences, etc.
22 tRNA
genes
13 polypeptideencoding genes
80%
20%
Unique or
low copy
number
Moderate to
highly
repetitive
Tandemly
repeated
or clustered
repeats
Interspersed
repeats
Eukaryotic genome
Moderately repetitive
Functional (protein coding, tRNA coding)
Unknown function
SINEs (short interspersed elements)
200-300 bp
100,000 copies
Eukaryotic genome
Highly repetitive
Minisatellites
Repeats of 14-500 bp
1-5 kb long
Scattered throughout genome
Microsatellites
Repeats up to 13 bp
100s of kb long, 106 copies
Around centromere
Telomeres
Short repeats (6 bp)
250-1,000 at ends of chromosomes
Chromosome organization
Eucaryotic chromosome
Centromere
Telomere
p-arm
Telomere
q-arm
Centromere:
DNA sequence that serve as an attachment for protein during mitosis.
In yeast these sequences (~ 130 nts) are very A+T rich.
In higher eucaryotes centromers are much longer and contain
satellite DNA
Satellite DNA consists of very large arrays of tandemly repeating, non-coding DNA.
Satellite DNA is the main component of functional centromeres, and form the main
structural constituent of heterochromatin
Telomeres:
At the end of chromosomes; help stabilize the chromosome
In yeast telomeres are ~ 100 bp long (imperfect repeats)
Repeats are added by a specific telomerase
Loop
Stem
Hairpin