Passage of information from parents to offspring

Need to know

What you need to know

• Always define key terms precisely: nucleotide, codon, anticodon, degenerate, phosphodiester bond, hydrogen bond.
• Distinguish clearly between the roles of DNA polymerase (replication), RNA polymerase (transcription), and DNA ligase (joining Okazaki fragments).
• Remember the exact complementary base pairing rules: A-T in DNA (A-U in RNA), G-C in both, and the number of hydrogen bonds for each.
• Outline the sequence of events and key molecules involved in both transcription (including splicing) and translation (including ribosome sites).
• Explain *why* the genetic code is degenerate (buffer against mutations) and universal (evidence for common ancestry).
• Be prepared to explain the lac operon as a model for gene regulation in prokaryotes.

Explanation

Passage of information from parents to offspring

1. Always define key terms precisely: nucleotide, codon, anticodon, degenerate, phosphodiester bond, hydrogen bond.
2. Distinguish clearly between the roles of DNA polymerase (replication), RNA polymerase (transcription), and DNA ligase (joining Okazaki fragments).
3. Remember the exact complementary base pairing rules: A-T in DNA (A-U in RNA), G-C in both, and the number of hydrogen bonds for each.
4. Outline the sequence of events and key molecules involved in both transcription (including splicing) and translation (including ribosome sites).