Information flow in the living cell
DNA -> RNA -> Protein
Transcription
RNA polymerase
The "universal" genetic code
Exceptions to the universal code
Mitochondria (Saccharomyces, certain protists, mammals) except plant mitochondria
Mycoplasma
Ciliates (Paramecium, Euplotes)
Post-transcriptional modifications
RNA editing
Guide RNAs
Intron excision
Poly-A tailing
Transcript degradation
Translation
Occurs on ribosome
Complex cellular machinery involved
tRNAs, EF-1alpha
Post-translational events
Peptide modification
Peptide targeting
Protein degradation
Protein-coding genes
RNA-coding genes
Ribosomal RNAs
tRNAs
Ribozymes (e.g., RNAase P)
Regulatory elements
Genes whose products affect regulation
Promoters
Operators (may enhance or repress gene expression)
Repressors
Activators
Interactions among regulators and cofactors
Stem-loops
Introns
Splice sites
Integrases
Spliceosomes
Alternate splicing
Telomeres
Repeats
Tandem Arrays
Ribosomal RNA in Eukaryotes
Satellites (mini-, micro-, etc.)
Isochores
Polymerase Chain Reaction
cDNA
Extract RNA
Typically want to get rid of ribosomal sequences
Use reverse transcriptase to generate DNA from the RNA transcripts
cDNA clone libraries
RT-PCR
Supplementary Reading
Schrödinger, E. 1944. What is Life? Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, England. [Reprinted in 1992 as a combined volume with Mind and Matter, Autobiographical Sketches, and a forward by Roger Penrose].