Chapter 6: Nutritional Genomics Flashcards
precision (personalized) health
Therapy is tailored to each individual so that nutrition professionals can help clients optimize their health and describe the promise that nutritional genomics brings to the field of nutrition and dietetics
genetics
The science of heredity
genomics
Focuses on the full set of an organism’s genes and how genes interact with each other and with the environment
genome
The full set of an organism’s genes
gene
Basic unit of heredity
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid. The genetic code of humans
nucleotide
A compound consisting of a nucleoside linked to a phosphate group. Nucleotides form the basic structural unit of nucleic acids such as DNA
genotype
The unique nucleotide sequence of DNA of an individual
intervening sequences
Long stretches of nucleotides found between genes along the chromosome. Compose the majority of DNA in humans
chromosomes
Formed by wrapping DNA tightly around specific proteins called histones. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes
histones
Any of a group of basic proteins found in chromatin.
autosomes
One of the 22 numbered pairs of chromosomes that most of us carry in almost all of the cells of our body.
sex chromosome
A chromosome involved with determining the sex of an organism, typically one of two kinds
transcription
The decoding process
coding region
AKA structural region. Contains the encoded information for synthesizing that gene’s protein.
exons
Correspond to the order of the amino acids in the gene’s protein product
introns
Sequences that are interspersed between exons and do not code for amino acids needed for synthesizing proteins
regulatory region
Controls the ability of the polymerase to attach to the promoter, thereby influencing whether transcription occurs
response elements
DNA sequences that serve as binding sites for regulatory proteins such as transcription factors and their bound ligands
transcription factors
Proteins involved in the process of converting, or transcribing, DNA into RNA.
ligand
A molecule that binds to another (usually larger) molecule
messenger RNA (mRNA)
Introns have been removed and the nucleotide sequence of the mRNA is ready to be translated into the amino acid sequence of the encoded protein
translation
Protein synthesis process
codon
Set of 3 nucleotides which specifies a particular amino acid and its position within the protein
transcriptomics
The study of the transcripts produced: the types of transcripts genome-wide and the amount produced
proteomics
Focuses in part on identifying the protein encoded by each gene, the protein’s function, and the effect of a mutation in a gene on the structure and function of the encoded protein