New video posted: Gene Regulation - how do cells control the expression of genes?

I have just posted a video that looks at the complex processes of gene regulation and protein production within cells. In the video, I explore six key stages where cells regulate protein synthesis, ensuring precise protein production according to cellular needs. These stages include:

1. Transcriptional Control: The initiation of RNA production and the involvement of transcription factors.
2. RNA Processing: The conversion of pre-messenger RNA to mature mRNA, including splicing and editing.
3. Transport and Localisation: The transportation of mRNA to the correct cellular locations for protein synthesis.
4. Translational Control: Regulation of mRNA translation within the cellular environment.
5. RNA Degradation: Mechanisms that determine the lifespan of mRNA molecules.
6. Protein Regulation: Various methods cells use to control protein activity, such as chemical modifications and localisation.

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

New video posted: Translation - making proteins from DNA - decoding mRNA to make the protein

This is the second of two videos on how cells make proteins using DNA. In the first video, I looked at the first step, which is making the messenger RNA (mRNA) a process called transcription - Transcription - making proteins from DNA - the mRNA.

In this video, I will guide you through the process of producing the protein from the mRNA, also known as translation. I will look at the coding problem (how many mRNA bases do you need to code from an amino acid), the number of reading frames in a DNA molecule, and how the cell produces protein from the mRNA.

  

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

New video posted: Transcription - making proteins from DNA - the mRNA

This is the first of two videos on how cells make proteins using DNA. The second video looks at how we go from messenger RNA (mRNA) to protein - Translation - making proteins from DNA - decoding mRNA to make the protein

In this video, I will guide you through the first steps in the process of producing RNA from DNA, also known as transcription. In the next video, we will take the next step and examine how we produce the protein from mRNA.

The video looks at the five steps of mRNA production:

• initiation — activators bind upstream, often thousands of bases upstream, of the gene. The activators assemble the required proteins (the mediator, chromatin remodelling complex, the RNA polymerase and transcription factors) at the TATA box, which is a DNA sequence close to the gene
• production — DNA is transcribed into the pre-messenger RNA
• five prime capping — the five prime end of the pre-messenger RNA is capped with some modified nucleotides
• splicing — introns are spliced out of the pre-messenger RNA to leave just the exons (exons provide the sequence for the protein)
• three prime polyadenylation — addition of a polyadenylated tail to the three prime end of the pre-messenger RNA to give the final mature messenger RNA molecule

The video not only looks at mRNA production but also introduces the idea of non-coding RNA (ncRNA), which are RNA molecules that do not encode proteins. ncRNAs are essential in regulating gene expression and various cellular processes. For example:

• transfer RNA (tRNA) — involved in protein synthesis
• ribosomal RNA (rRNA) — involved in protein synthesis
• microRNA (miRNA) — control gene expression
• small interfering RNA (siRNA) — control gene expression 
• long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) — diverse functions
• circular RNA (circRNA) — gene regulation
• Piwi-interacting RNA (piRNA) — genome protection
• enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) — modulate gene activity

Finally, I cover how to write out DNA sequences, the means of the terms sense and antisense strands, and what we mean by upstream and downstream when talking about DNA and RNA molecules.

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

New video posted: DNA Recombination and Holiday Junction: The Key to Genetic Variation

In this video, I explore DNA recombination, a process where DNA strands swap segments, usually between similar sequences on sister chromatids. This swapping creates brand-new genetic combinations. DNA recombination isn't just a biological curiosity; it's crucial for increasing genetic diversity and ensuring the stability of our genome.

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

New video posted: DNA Repair - BER, direct, proofreading, HR, MMR, NHEJ and NER

DNA can be damaged in a number of ways (see How can DNA become damaged in the cell? for more information— and the damage must be corrected for the cell to function correctly. 

There are seven ways cells can repair damage to their DNA: 

• Base Excision Repair (BER)
• Direct repair
• DNA proofreading
• Homologous recombination repair (HR)
• Mismatch Repair (MMR)
• Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ)
• Nucleotide Excision Repair (NER)

And in this video, I look at the seven methods.

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

New video posted: How can DNA become damaged in the cell?

In this video, I look at how DNA can become damaged in cells and introduce four ways damage can occur:

• deletions
• insertions
• substitutions
• transitions
• and transversions. 

I also look at exogenous and endogenous damage sources of the damage.

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

New video posted: DNA replication: How does a cell make a copy of its DNA?

Have you ever been curious about the precision with which DNA is replicated in our cells, or why human pregnancies don't extend to an unimaginable sixteen years?

In my latest video, I examine the process of DNA replication. First, I explore how the DNA double helix is unwound by DNA helicase and how the unwound DNA is stabilised by Single Stranded Binding Proteins. I look at the replication fork and how DNA polymerases copy the DNA strands.

I also cover the formation of Okazaki fragments—short sequences of DNA synthesised on the lagging strand—and how DNA ligase is responsible for stitching these fragments together. Additionally, the video highlights the importance of topoisomerase in preventing the DNA from becoming overly twisted and tangled during replication.

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

New video posted: DNA Packaging - how do we package DNA into the nucleus?

In the video, I examine how the long DNA molecule is packaged into the relatively small nucleus of a cell. I examine how DNA is broken up into chromosomes, how the DNA wraps around the histones to form nucleosomes and chromatosomes, and finally, chromatin.

Please use the form below to download a fact sheet for the video. The fact sheet contains twenty-four key facts from the video, a summary of the packing of DNA into the nucleus and the definitions of twenty-five key terms used in the video.

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

New video posted: How long is the DNA in a human cell?

In this video, I calculate the length of the DNA in one human cell, and my answer may surprise you.

How long do you think? 0.2 mm, less? 2 mm, 2 cm, 2 m, 2 km? Watch the video to find out.

The video walks you through the math I used to calculate the length of DNA, and then I will reveal the length it would be if the cell were the size of a football.

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Maths and Chemistry Refresher for Life and Biomedical Scientists
• 📗 - Catchup Chemistry (affiliate link to the book)
• 📗 - Catchup Maths and Stats (affiliate link to the book)

New video posted: Genetics and Mendel — DNA, genes, dominant and recessive traits

In this video, I examine Genetics and Mendel and discuss DNA, genes, and dominant and recessive traits.

The video introduces Gregor Mendel, an Austrian scientist and Augustinian friar known as the "father of modern genetics". I discuss his classic rounded and wrinkly pea experiments and describe how he came up with the idea of dominant and recessive traits.

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

New video posted: DNA and Genes

How many genes does a human have? Do we have more genes than a plant? Do larger organisms, such as trees, have more genes than humans?

In the video, we will look at the genetic material — DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) — in cells and explore how many genes humans have and whether we, as complex organisms, have more genes than a tree, a potato or a tomato. What do you think?

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

New video posted: What is a cell?

This is an interesting question... what is a cell? What makes a cell a cell? Why do we have cells?

In a recent video post on YouTube, I addressed this question and explored some of the different cell types that can be found in the human body.

To find out more, watch the video and discover the remarkable range of sizes of cells in our bodies.

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm

Blog Bonus: Free information sheet summarising the video and defining the key terms - download.

 

Additional Reading

The video was produced with help from the following resources:

• 📗 - The Biosciences Glossary
• 📗 - Molecular Biology of the Cell (Alberts) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Molecular Cell Biology (Lodish) - (affiliate link)
• 📗 - Biochemistry (Stryer) - (affiliate link)

Back to blogging

After a break of nearly 8 years on this blog, I am back to blogging.

Watch this space for new posts

If you would like to support my blogging efforts, then please feel free to buy me a coffee at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/drnickm