Molecular Biology

What I do

• Study molecular mechanisms in cells
• Analyze DNA, RNA, and protein function
• Investigate gene expression and regulation
• Perform cloning and genetic manipulation
• Study DNA replication and repair
• Research transcription and translation

When to use me

• When studying gene structure and function
• When analyzing gene expression
• When performing molecular cloning
• When investigating DNA replication
• When researching transcription factors
• When working with RNA

Key Concepts

Central Dogma

DNA → RNA → Protein

Replication: DNA → DNA Transcription: DNA → RNA Translation: RNA → Protein

Gene Expression

# Example: Central dogma flow
def central_dogma(sequence):
    """
    Convert DNA sequence to protein.
    """
    # Transcription: DNA to mRNA
    mrna = transcribe(sequence)
    
    # Translation: mRNA to protein
    protein = translate(mrna)
    
    return {'mRNA': mrna, 'protein': protein}

# Gene expression regulation
expression_levels = {
    'constitutive': 'Always expressed',
    'inducible': 'Expression increased by inducer',
    'repressible': 'Expression decreased by repressor'
}

Molecular Techniques

• PCR: Polymerase chain reaction
• Cloning: Gene insertion into vectors
• Sequencing: Sanger, NGS
• Southern/Northern/Western blotting
• CRISPR-Cas9: Genome editing
• RNA interference: Gene silencing

DNA Replication

• Origins of replication
• DNA polymerases
• Helicase and primase
• Leading and lagging strands
• Okazaki fragments
• DNA ligase