Chapter 6 Flashcards
nuclein (p. 228)
The original name given to DNA when it was discovered in the nucleus of cells by Friedrich Miescher in 1869
nucleotide (p. 229)
The repeating unit in DNA; it comprises a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and one of the four nitrogenous bases
X-ray crystallography (p. 230)
A technique in which a pure substance is subjected to X-rays; the pattern in which the X-rays bend and spread helps reveal the structure of the pure substance
scientific model (p. 230)
a simplified representation of a concept; can be tangible or conceptual
complementary base pairing (p. 231)
pairing of the nitrogenous base of one strand of DNA with the nitrogenous base of another strand; adenine (A.) pairs with thymine (T), and guanine (G) pairs with cytosine (C)
point mutation (p. 234)
a small-scale change in the nitrogenous base sequence of a DNA; the mutation may be beneficial, harmful, or neutral (having no effect on
the organism)
chromosome mutation (p. 234)
an error that involves an entire chromosome or a large part of a chromosome
spontaneous mutation (p. 236)
a mutation that is not caused by any outside factors; it occurs randomly
induced mutation (p. 236)
a mutation that occurs because of exposure to an outside factor; second-hand smoke increases the chance of developing lung cancer
antibiotic resistant (p. 237)
describes strains of bacteria that are no longer susceptible to the effects of antibiotics; are sometimes called “superbugs” and are prevalent in hospital settings
transposon (p. 237)
a specific segment of DNA that can move along or between the
chromosomes
transposition (p. 237)
the process of moving a gene sequence from one part of the chromosome to another part of the chromosome
microarray (p. 238)
a small membrane or glass slide that has been coated in a predictable and organized manner with a genomic sequence
Human Genome Project (HGP) (p. 240)
a collaborative worldwide project to sequence the nitrogenous bases in human DNA
human genome (p. 240)
the sequence of DNA nitrogenous bases found on the 23 sets of chromosomes in humans
coding DNA (p. 240)
a region of DNA that contains a sequence of nucleotides that will be expressed; a gene
non-coding DNA (p. 240)
a region of DNA that does not contain a sequence of nucleotides that will be expressed
functional genomics (p. 241)
the study of the relationship between genes and their function
model organism (p. 241)
an organism that can be used to study biological functions of another organism, due to its genetic similarity
DNA bank (p. 242)
a database of DNA sequences; the sequences can be from plants, animals, or humans
DNA fingerprinting (p. 243)
a pattern of bands on a gel that is unique to each individual
restriction enzyme (p. 245)
a molecule that has the ability to cut DNA at a specific site; different restriction enzymes recognize and cut different sites
recombinant DNA (p. 245)
fragments of DNA consisting of nucleotide sequences from at least two different sources
gene therapy (p. 249)
the process by which defective genes in a genome are corrected with a normal copy of the gene