Unit 5 Reflection

In this unit, we learned of how DNA is made of a nucleotide by matching the nitrogen bases(Adenine, Cytosine, Guanine, and Thymine) together, walking the dogma, mutations, and how does a gene regulate.  DNA is a double helix structure that moves antiparallel in a 5' to 3' direction. It contains Adenine and Guanine as purines (double ringed), and Cytosine, Thymine as pyramidines (single ringed).  When walking the dogma, the DNA code is read and then unzips, with RNA polymearse matching with the RNA strands in order to produce mRNA. The mRNA then transfers from the nucleus into the cytoplasm where it begins transcription. The ribosome then reads the mRNA 3 letters at a time(codon) to make an amino acid- sequance with AUG as the "start" codon. As a result, this forms a primary structure of amino acids. Mutations can vary from no effect(point mutations) to having effect(frameshift mutations). As in the Protein Synthesis lab, deletion, a frameshift mutation, had the most effect on the amino acid sequence by deleting T early in the DNA sequence. In gene regulation, each gene operon like the Lac Operon contains a promoter with the RNA polymearse attaching it, and an operator with the repressor attaching it. Then it produces the Lac gene, with always DNA attaching it.

My strengths in the unit was learning the DNA's double helix structure, walking the dogma,  and mutations and my weakness is understanding gene regulation. I still might need to look more in walking the dogma, though because it has process that needs to be remembered to understand and the parts of the gene operon.

By learning from these experiences I learned to put more time of effort and focus in the vodcast that have more details in it and still focus on the vodcast that do not have a lot of detail. As learning in the Vark Questionare that I am a visual and word learner, I watched vodcasts of the ideas I am not clear about, and taking the CFU for the section, really help expand my understanding and that I need to keep it up and till the finals. I have no questions;I wonder how long the Biology final will take me; I am a better student than yesterday.