Chapter 6: DNA Structure and Replication Flashcards
What does DNA stand for?
Deoxyribonucleic Acid
What is DNA?
An information molecule that is the universal basis of an organism’s genetic material; it contains instructions, written in a chemical code, for the production of proteins by the cell
What are genes?
A unit of heredity that transmits information from one generation to the next; a segment of DNA that codes for a polypeptide
Where is DNA located in a eukaryotic cell?
In the nucleus
What is chromatin?
A complex of proteins and DNA in eukaryotic chromosomes
What are chromosomes?
A structure composed of DNA and protein that contains along its length linear arrays of genes carrying genetic information; prokaryotes have one circular chromosome whereas eukaryotes have a number of linear chromosomes
What is histone?
A protein that DNA winds around in eukaryotic cells
What are sister chromatids?
The two identical copies of a single chromosome, formed by replication and connected by a centromere
What is centromere?
The waist-like constriction in a chromosome required for the movement of chromosomes during cell division. Refer to figure 6.1.4 pg 128 for more detail
What are homologous chromosomes?
A pair of chromosomes that have the same size, shape, and genes at the same locations
What is a karyotype?
A display of the number and appearance of the chromosomes of an organism or cell observed at metaphase
How many pairs of chromosomes do humans have?
23 (46 chromosomes)
What chromosomes are not homologous?
Sex chromosomes (usually male) are not homologous
What is the endosymbiotic theory?
A theory that suggests that chloroplasts and mitochondria arose from ancient prokaryote cells that were ingested by other prokaryote host cells
Where is DNA located in prokaryote cells?
They form a single circular chromosome that lies in direct contact with the cytoplasm