Bio – exercise 2: the globin gene

Exercise 2: The Globin Gene
Procedure

1. Complete the DNA molecule by writing a complementary strand.

Coding Strand: CGT CTC TTC GGA CAC Complementary Strand:
2. Write the mRNA sequence that will be created in the process of transcription. The DNA coding strand has the information for the gene, so the strand must be transcribed. The relationships are slightly different for RNA, because RNA does not have T; therefore, U should be substituted for T. To transcribe DNA to RNA, the pairing relationship is A – U, T – A, C – G, and G – C, respectively.

Coding Strand: CGT CTC TTC GGA CAC

mRNA Strand:

3. Translate the mRNA into amino acids. Use Table 1 as a reference. Remember, when a “stop”
codon is recognized, the protein creation is terminated.

mRNA Strand:
Amino Acids Formed:

Questions

A. How many nucleotides would it take to construct the mRNA coding strand of the β-subunit of the hemoglobin A molecule?
B. How many nucleotides would it take to model the entire β-subunit of the hemoglobin A molecule?
C. Is the β-subunit of the hemoglobin A molecule a complete DNA molecule (chromosome) or part of one? Explain.
D. What would happen if one of the DNA nucleotides was deleted? What if the first T was substituted for an A? Would a substitution always result in a change? Explain why or why not.
E. Using your newly formed model of DNA from Exercise 1, write the coding strand below. Use the coding strand to determine the mRNA strand and the amino acids formed. Do this separately for Row 1 and Row 2 of your DNA model.

Data Table: Newly Formed Model of DNA from Exercise 1
ROW 1 ROW 2
Coding Strand
mRNA Strand
Amino Acids Formed
F. Did the new DNA model form any two of the same amino acids?
G. Optional: Compare the amino acids that were formed in this experiment with those of classmates who also performed this experiment. Were there many similarities?