Chapter 15 vocab

Question 1

A protein that binds to DNA and stimulates gene transcription. In prokaryotes, activators bind in or near the promoter; in eukaryotes, activators bind to control elements in enhancers.

Answer 1

activator

Question 2

A type of eukaryotic gene regulation at the RNA-processing level in which different mRNA molecules are produced from the same primary transcript, depending on which RNA segments are treated as exons and which as introns.

Answer 2

alternative RNA splicing

Question 3

A maternal effect gene that codes for a protein responsible for specifying the anterior end in Drosophila.

Answer 3

bicoid

Question 4

The structural and functional divergence of cells as they become specialized during a multicellular organism’s development. Cell differentiation depends on the control of gene expression.

Answer 4

cell differentiation

Question 5

A segment of noncoding DNA that helps regulate transcription of a gene by binding a transcription factor. Multiple control elements are present in a eukaryotic gene’s enhancer.

Answer 5

control element

Question 6

A small molecule that binds to a bacterial repressor protein and changes its shape, allowing it to switch an operon off.

Answer 6

corepressor

Question 7

Cyclic adenosine monophosphate, a ring-shaped molecule made from ATP that is a common intracellular signaling molecule (second messenger) in eukaryotic cells. It is also a regulator of some bacterial operons.

Answer 7

cyclic AMP (cAMP)

Question 8

A maternal substance, such as a protein or RNA, placed into an egg that influences the course of early development by regulating the expression of genes that affect the developmental fate of cells.

Answer 8

cytoplasmic determinant

Question 9

The progressive restriction of developmental potential in which the possible fate of each cell becomes more limited as an embryo develops.

Answer 9

Determination

Question 10

The expression of different sets of genes by cells with the same genome.

Answer 10

differential gene expression

Question 11

A gene that helps control the orientation (polarity) of the egg; also called a maternal effect gene.

Answer 11

egg-polarity gene

Question 12

A mutation with a phenotype leading to death of an embryo or larva.

Answer 12

embryonic lethal

Question 13

A segment of eukaryotic DNA containing multiple control elements, usually located far from the gene whose transcription it regulates.

Answer 13

enhancer

Question 14

Inheritance of traits transmitted by mechanisms not directly involving the nucleotide sequence of a genome.

Answer 14

epigenetic inheritance

Question 15

A method of metabolic control in which the end product of a metabolic pathway acts as an inhibitor of an enzyme within that pathway.

Answer 15

feedback inhibition

Question 16

A phenomenon in which expression of an allele in offspring depends on whether the allele is inherited from the male or female parent.

Answer 16

genomic imprinting

Question 17

A unit of genetic function found in bacteria and phages, consisting of a promoter, an operator, and a coordinately regulated cluster of genes whose products function in a common pathway

Answer 17

Operon

Question 18

In bacterial and phage DNA, a sequence of nucleotides near the start of an operon to which an active repressor can attach. The binding of the repressor prevents RNA polymerase from attaching to the promoter and transcribing the genes of the operon.

Answer 18

Operator

Question 19

a protein that inhibits gene transcription. In prokaryotes, repressors bind to the DNA in or near the promoter. In eukaryotes, repressors may bind to control elements within enhancers, to activators, or to other proteins in a way that blocks activators from binding to DNA

Answer 19

repressor

Question 20

A gene that codes fro a protein, such as a repressor, that controls the transcription of another gene or group of genes

Answer 20

regulatory gene

Question 21

The presence of methyl groups on the DNA bases (usually Cytosine) of plants, animals, and fungi. (also adding methyl groups to bases)

Answer 21

DNA Methylation

Question 22

the attachment of acety groups to certain amino acids of histone proteins

Answer 22

Histone Acetylation

Question 23

a small single-stranded RNA molecule, generated from a ahairpin structure on a precursor RNA transcribed from a particular gene. The miRNA associaes with one or more proteins in a complex that can degrade or prevent the translation of mRNA with a complementary sequence

Answer 23

microRNA (miRNA)

Question 24

one of multiple, small. Single stranded RNA molecules generated by cellular machinery from a long linear double stranded RNA moleule. The siRNA associates with one or more proteins in a complex that can degrade or prevent translation of mRNA with a complementary sequence. In some cases, siRNA can also block transcription by promoting chromatin modification.

Answer 24

small interfering RNA (siRNAi)

Question 25

a technique used to silence the expression of selected genes. RNAi uses synthetic double stranded RNA molecules that match the sequence of a particular gene to trigger the breakdown of the gene’s messenger RNA

Answer 25

RNA Interference (RNAi)

Question 26

The process of base pairing betweena gene and a complementary sequence on a nucleic acid molecule

Answer 26

Nucleic Acid Hybridization

Question 27

In DNA tech, a labled single stranded nucleic acid molecule used to locate a specific nucleotide sequence in a nucleic acid sample. Molecules of the probe hydrodgen bond to thecomplementary sequence wherever it occurs; radioactive, fluorescent, or other labeling of the probe allows its location to be detected

Answer 27

Nucleic Acid Probe

Question 28

a technique using nucleic acid hybidization with a labled probe to detect the location of specific mRNA in an intact organism

Answer 28

in situ Hybridization

Question 29

A technique for determining expression of a particular gene. It uses reverse transcriptase and DNA polymerase to synthesize cDNA from all the mRNA in a sample and then subjects the cDNA to PCR amplification using primers specific for the gene of interest.

Answer 29

reverse transriptase-polymerase chain reaction

Question 30

A double stranded DNA molecule made in vitro using mRNA as a template and the enzymes reverse transcriptase and DNA polymerase. A cDNA molecule corresponds to the exons of a gene

Answer 30

complementary DNA (cDNA)

Question 31

A method to detect and measure the expression of thousands of genes at one time. Tiny amounts of a large number of single stranded DNA fragments representing different genes are fixed to a glass slide and tested for hybridization with samples of labled cDNA

Answer 31

DNA Microarray Assays

Question 32

a specific small molecule that binds to a bacterial repressor protein and changes the repressor’s shape so that it cannot bind to an operator, thus swithcing the operator on

Answer 32

inducer