Chapter 4: Genetic Processes Flashcards
genetics
the study of hereditary and variation of living organisms and how genetic information in passed on from one generation to the next
somatic cells
a plant of animal cell that forms the body of the organism, excludes reproductive cells
chromosome
a structure in the nucleus that contains DNA
sister chromatid
one of two chromosomes that are genetically identical and are held together at the centromere
spindle fibre
a microtubule structure that facilitates the movement of chromosomes within a cell
centrosome
a structure that helps form the spindle fibres
genome
the complete DNA sequence of an organism
homologous chromosome
a chromosome that contains the same sequence of genes as another chromosome
gene
a part of a chromosome that governs the expression of a trait and is passed on to offspring; it has a specific DNA sequence
allele
a different form of the same gene
karyotype
a photograph of pairs of homologous chromosomes in a cell
sex chromosome
an X or Y chromosome that determines the genetic sex of an organism
autosome
a chromosome that is not a sex chromosome
asexual reproduction
requires only one parent, produces genetically identical offspring
sexual reproduction
reproduction that requires two parents and produces genetically distinct offspring
gamete
a male of female reproductive cell
zygote
a cell formed by the fusion of two gametes
fertilization
the joining of male and female gametes
haploid
a cell that contains half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell
diploid
a cell that contains pairs of homologous chromosomes
meiosis
the cellular process that produces cells containing half the number of chromosomes as the parent cell
synapsis
the aligning of homologous chromosomes during Prophase I in meiosis
soermatogenesis
the process of producing male gametes in mammals
oogenesis
the process of producing female gametes in mammals
crossing over
the exchange of chromosomal segments between a pair of homologous chromosomes
non-disjunction
the failure of homologous chromosome pairs of sister chromatids to separate during meiosis
monosomy
loss of a chromosome as a result of non-disjunction
trisomy
gain of a chromosome as a result of non-disjunction
selective breeding
the process of breeding plants and animals for desirable traits
artificial insemination
the process in which sperm is collected and concentrated before being introduced in the female reproductive system
embryo transfer
the process in which an egg that has been fertilized artificially is transferred into a recipient females’ uterus
in vitro fertilisation
the process used to fertilize egg cells outside the female’s body
cloning
a process that produces identical copies of genes, cells, or organisms
gene cloning
the use of DNA manipulation techniques to produce multiple copies of a single gene or segment of DNA
recombinant DNA
a molecule of DNA that includes genetic material from different sources
therapeutic cloning
the process of replacing an egg cell’s nucleus with a nucleus of a somatic donor cell to produce a cell line of genetically identical cells
reproductive cloning
the process of producing genetically identical organisms
stem cell
an undifferentiated cell that can develop and become specialized into different cell types in the body
