Anatomy of a Gene Flashcards
what is a genome
- sum of all organisms in dna
- organized into coding (helps makes proteins) or non coding (doesnt make proteins)
- organized into packets called CHROMOSOMES
histone
proteins that organize the dna into tightly coiled structures
p, q arm
chromatid lengths
p - short
q - long
centromere
where spindle fibres attach to (non coding)
telomere
end reigons, non sense reigon that buffers loss (non coding)
pseudogenes
never expressed genes due to mutations
transposons
jumping genes that move around the genome by copying, cutting and pasting themselves into chromosomes
- can turn functioning gene into non functioning gene
endogenous retroviruses (ERV)
extinct retroviruses that are stuck in genome
- account for 8% human genome
gene
specific sequence of dna that codes for proteins or rna
- not evenly spread along chromosomes
promoter
where cellular machinery gathers to start building an rna message
- start of genes
switch
- AKA enhancers, repressors, and regulatory DNA
- Control when, where, and how much RNA and protein is being made
- Switch proteins bind to specific nucleotide sequences
- dna molecule folds –> switch in contact with promotor
start codon
- Made of bases ATG (AUG on RNA) and codes for amino acid Methionine
- Tells the ribosome where to start reading to build a protein
exons (non-coding)
expressed into amino acids
introns (non-coding)
removed from amino acids
- great place for malfunctions to occur
- more introns = more places for mutations = more stability/less genetic variation (mutations are removed)
tata box
common promoter
