17. Inherited change Flashcards
define ‘gene’
a sequence of DNA bases at a specific locus on a chromosome that codes for one polypeptide
define ‘allele’
an alternative form of a gene, found at the same locus but may produce a different phenotype
define ‘haploid’
one set of chromosomes that denotes ‘n’
e.g human gametes
define ‘diploid’
two sets of chromosomes that denotes ‘2n’
e.g human body cells
define ‘polypoid’
many (>2) sets of chromosomes ‘xn’
define ‘genome’
the complete set of genes in a cell
define ‘genotype’
the genetic constitution of an organism
e.g the specific genes/alleles an organism possesses
define ‘phenotype’
the observable characteristics of an organism.
a product of interactions between the genotype and the environment
define ‘homozygous’
an organism that has the same alleles for a particular gene on each homologous chromosome
define ‘heterozygous’
an organism that has two different alleles for the same gene (characteristic)
define ‘dominant’
when one allele masks or prevents the expression of another allele
define ‘recessive’
when one allele can be masked or prevented from expression by another allele
