Welcome to My Molecular Biology Class

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Welcome to My Molecular Biology Class
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Molecular Biology of the Gene, 5/E --- Watson et
al. (2004)
Part I Chemistry and Genetics Part II
Maintenance of the Genome Part III Expression
of the Genome Part IV Regulation Part V Methods
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Chemistry and Genetics
Ch 1 The Mendelian View of the World Ch 2
Nucleic Acids convey genetic information Ch 3
The importance of weak chemical interactions Ch
4 The importance of high-energy bonds Ch 5 Weak
and strong bonds determine macromolecular
structure
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Why Watson et al. want to tell us some stories
about genetics and chemistry before we start the
molecular biology?
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Genetics ?? Inheritable traits
(Mendel) Genetic material-DNA (Avery) Central
Dogma ???? (Watson and Crick)

• Chemistry-mechanisms ??
• Weak chemical bond? interactions
• Strong chemical bond ?energy transfer
• 3.Weak and strong bonds determine macromolecule
  structure

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• A few points for using of the textbook ?Ch1 as an
  example?
• Carefully read each Part Introduction to find the
  connections between different chapters of each
  Part, and how the contents are organized.
• Find the organization of each chapter by reading
  the Chapter Introduction.
• Read the figures to understand the concept in
  each subtitle.
• Main principles from large view to details, from
  easy to difficult.

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• The focus of Ch1 and Ch2
• Recognizing the life of scientists.
• Recognizing the value and nature of science.
• Recognizing the characters displayed during the
  scientific activity love of the beauty of
  nature, the faith of your creativity and the hope
  to be recognized.

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Chapter 1 The Mendelian View of the World
To explain how the genetic traits are transferred
from the parents to the offsprings
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Two important lessons to learn from Mendels
discovery

• The attitude to science interested in
  discovering the wonders of the nature (laws,
  mechanisms)
• The principle to conduct science using simple
  models to understand the complicate or unknown
  story

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Discussion 1

• Why Mendelianism and Darwinism conflicted
  initially, how the conflict was resolved? (P15-16)

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Discussion 2 Scientist and Science
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Chapter 2 Nucleic Acids convey genetic
information
The stories/efforts led to the fundamental
knowledge of life, which open a new era of modern
biology
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Ch 2 Nucleic Acids convey genetic information
Averys Bombshell (1944) DNA can carry genetic
specificity
The Double Helix (1953)
The genetic information within DNA is conveyed by
the sequence of its four nucleotide building
blocks
The Central Dogma (1956)
Establishing the direction of protein synthesis
The Era of Genomics (2000)
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Averys Bombshell (1944) DNA can carry genetic
specificity
A story written for 26 years
Thinking 1 what do you learn from the efforts of
George W. Beadle and Edward Tatum (1940s),
Frederick Griffith (1928), Osward T. Avery
(1940s)
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1928 by Frederick Griffith
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1944 by Osward T. Avery
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Thinking 2 Why Avery made more recognizable
contribution to the field than did Griffith?
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The Double Helix (1953)
The foundation of molecular biology
Francis H. Crick James D. Watson
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Thinking 3 what led to the success of Watson and
Crick?
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The Central Dogma (1953-1956)
Setting the platform for molecular biology only
takes 0.5 year or 3.5 years Exciting days of
biologists
Transcription
RNA
Protein
DNA
Translation
Replication
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The revised central dogma
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Gene Expression
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Ch 2 Nucleic Acids convey genetic information
The purpose of Molecular Biology of the genes is
to provide a firm foundation for understanding
how DNA functions as the template for biological
complexity.
Remember this book is living in the age of the
Central Dogma in understanding life, post-genomic
era will certainly tell us a more complex but I
hope a clear story of life.
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Part 2, Maintenance of the Genome, describes the
structure of the genetic material and its
faithful duplication. Part 3, Expression of the
Genome, shows how the genetic instructions
contained in DNA is converted into proteins Part
4, Regulation, describes strategies for
differential gene activity that are used to
generate complexity within the organisms and
diversity among organisms
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Part 5, Methods, describes various laboratory
techniques, bioinformatics approaches, and model
systems that are commonly used to investigate
biological problem.
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Chapter 3 The importance of weak chemical
interactions
Weak bonds indeed are vital for life, partly
because they can form and break under the
physiological conditions present with cells.
(Dynamics is important)
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Pages 45-53 are important to read
List the reasons making weak bond vital for life
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Chapter 5 Weak and strong bonds determine
macromolecular structure
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Ch 5 Weak and strong bonds determine
macromolecular structure

• Higher-order structures are determined by intra-
  and intermolecular interactions
• The specific conformation of a protein results
  from its pattern of hydrogen bonds
• Most proteins are modular, containing two or
  three domains
• Weak bonds correctly position proteins along DNA
  and RNA molecules
• Allostery Regulation of a proteins function by
  changing its shape