Chapter 12: Problem 11
In instances in the eukaryotic genome, DNA sequences represent evolutionary vestiges of duplicated copies of genes. What are such regions called and what are their characteristics?
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Chapter 12: Problem 11
In instances in the eukaryotic genome, DNA sequences represent evolutionary vestiges of duplicated copies of genes. What are such regions called and what are their characteristics?
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Telomeres are highly repetitive regions of heterochromatin, involved in the maintenance of the chromosome's structural integrity. The length of a telomere decreases with age and has been inversely linked to mortality. When the length goes below a critical limit, cells undergo senescence and/or apoptosis. Smoking, exposure to pollution, lack of physical activity, obesity, stress, and an unhealthy diet increase the oxidative burden and have all been shown to increase the rate of telo- mere shortening and aging. Discuss the importance of telomeres in the light of these facts.
Examples of histone modifications are acetylation (by histone acetyltransferase, or HAT), which is often linked to gene activation, and deacetylation (by histone deacetylases, or HDACs), which often leads to gene silencing typical of heterochromatin. Such heterochromatinization is initiated from a nucleation site and spreads bidirectionally until encountering boundaries that delimit the silenced areas. Recall from earlier in the text (see Chapter 4 ) the brief discussion of position effect, where repositioning of the \(w^{+}\) allele in Drosophila by translocation or inversion near heterochromatin produces intermittent \(w^{+}\) activity. In the heterozygous state \(\left(w^{+} / w\right),\) a variegated eye is produced, with white and red patches. How might one explain position-effect variegation in terms of histone acetylation and/or deacetylation?
number of times a microsatellite of a particular sequence length, one to six bases long, is found within genes. For instance, in primates, a dinucleotide sequence (GC, for example) is found 10 times, while a trinucleotide is found 1126 times. In fungi, a repeat motif composed of 6 nucleotides (GACACC, for example) is found 219 times, whereas a tetranucleotide repeat (GACA, for example) is found only 2 times. Analyze and interpret these data by indicating what general pattern is apparent for the distribution of various microsatellite lengths within genes. Of what significance might this general pattern be?
Describe the basic structure of a nucleosome. What is the role of histone H1?
What do SINE and LINE mean in terms of chromosome structure? Why are they called "repetitive"?
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