Cheat sheet · NEET Preparation Botany

Molecular Basis of Inheritance cheat sheet

The whole chapter on one page: key formulas, facts and the points to remember, for quick revision before a test.

NEET · Botany

Cheat sheet

Class 12 · Chapter 4Molecular Basis of Inheritance

Central dogma: DNA → RNA → Protein.

1. DNA

  • Double helix (Watson & Crick); antiparallel strands.
  • Chargaff: A = T, G = C.
  • One turn: 10 bp, 3.4 nm.
  • Packaging: nucleosome (histone octamer + 200 bp).

2. Experiments

Griffith

transforming principle (Streptococcus).

Avery, MacLeod, McCarty

DNA is the transforming principle.

Hershey–Chase

DNA is genetic material (³²P, ³⁵S).

Meselson–Stahl

semi-conservative replication (¹⁵N).

3. Replication, Transcription, Translation

ProcessKey facts
ReplicationDNA polymerase (5′ → 3′); leading and lagging (Okazaki) strands; ligase
TranscriptionRNA polymerase; promoter, structural gene, terminator; eukaryotes: splicing, capping, tailing
Translationribosome reads codons; tRNA brings amino acids; AUG start; UAA, UAG, UGA stop

4. Gene Regulation

  • Lac operon: inducible; lactose binds repressor → genes switched on.
  • Genes z, y, a code for β-galactosidase, permease, transacetylase.

5. Key Points

  • Genetic code: triplet, degenerate, universal, non-overlapping.
  • Human Genome Project: ~20 000 genes.
  • DNA fingerprinting uses VNTRs.
  • Reverse transcription in retroviruses.

Remember: DNA structure | 4 experiments | replication → translation | lac operon

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