Ch. 3 -- Genetics: Reproducing Life And Producing Variation Flashcards
Adenine
One of four nitrogen bases that make up DNA and RNA; pairs with thymine in DNA molecules and uracil in RNA molecules
Adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
An important cellular molecule, created by the mitochondria and carrying the energy necessary for cellular functions
Amino acids
Organic molecules combined in a specific sequence by the ribosomes to form a protein
Antibodies
Molecules that form as part of the primary immune response to the presence of foreign substances; attach to the foreign antigens
Anticodons
Sequences of the three nitrogen bases carried by tRNA, they match up with the complementary mRNA codons and each designate a specific amino acid during protein synthesis
Antigens
Substances that stimulate the immune system’s antibody production
Autosomes
All chromosomes, except the sex chromosomes, that occur in pairs in all somatic cells (not the gametes)
Coding DNA
Sequences of a gene’s DNA (also known as exons) that are coded to produce a specific protein and are transcribed and translated during protein synthesis
Codominance
Refers to two different alleles that are equally dominant; both are fully expressed in a heterozygote’s phenotype
Codons
The sequences of three nitrogen bases carried by mRNA that are coded to produce specific amino acids in protein synthesis
Complementary bases
The predictable pairing of nitrogen bases in the structure of DNA and RNA, such that adenine (A) and thymine (T) always pair together (adenine and uracil (U) in RNA) and cytosine (C) and guanine (G) pair together
Cross-over
The process by which homologous chromosomes partially wrap around each other and exchange genetic information during meiosis
Cytoplasm
The fluid that fills the cell and maintains the cell’s shape
Cytosine
One of four nitrogen bases that make up DNA and RNA; pairs with guanine
Diploid
A cell that has a full complement of paired chromosomes
Essential amino acids
Those amino acids that cannot be synthesized in the body; they must be supplied by the diet
Eukaryotes
Organisms with internal compartments separated by membranes
Free-floating nucleotides
Nucleotides (the basic building block of DNA and RNA) that are present in the nucleus and are used during DNA replication and mRNA synthesis
Gametes
Sexual reproductive cells, ova and sperm, that have a haploid number of chromosomes and that can unite with a gamete of the opposite sex to form a new organism
Genome
The complete set of chromosomes for an organism or species that represents all the inheritable traits
Genomics
The branch of genetics that studies species’ genomes
Guanine
One of four nitrogen bases that make up DNA and RNA; pairs with cytosine
Haplogroups
A large set of haplotypes that may be used to define a population
Haploid
A cell that has a single set of unpaired chromosomes, half of the genetic material
Haplotypes
A group of alleles that tend to be inherited as a unit due to their closely spaced loci on a single chromosome
Heritability
The proportion of phenotypic variation that is due to inheritance rather than to environmental influence
Heteroplasmic
Refers to a mixture of more than one type or organellar DNA within a cell or a single organism’s body, usually due to the mutation of the DNA in some organelles but not in others
Heterozygous
Refers to the condition in which a pair of alleles at a single locus on homologous chromosomes are different
Homeotic (Hox) genes
Also known as homeobox genes, they are responsible for differentiating the specific segments of the body during embryological development
Homologous
Refers to each set of paired chromosomes in the genome
Homoplasmic
Refers to nuclear DNA, which is identical in the nucleus of each cell type (except red blood cells)