Chapter 6 Vocab

Question 1

epigenetic inheritance

Answer 1

• A pattern in which a modification occurs to a nuclear gene or chromosome that alters gene expression, but is not permanent over the course of many generations

Question 2

Imprinting (genomic)

Answer 2

• A pattern of inheritance that involves a change in a single gene or chromosome during gamete formation
• Depending on whether the modification occurs during spermatogenesis or oogenesis, imprinting governs whether an offspring will express a gene that has been inherited from its mother or father

Question 3

monoallelic expression

Answer 3

• The phenomenon in which only one of the two alleles of a given gene is transcriptionally expressed because the other allele has been silenced due to imprinting

Question 4

DNA methylation

Answer 4

• The phenomenon in which an enzyme covalently attaches a methyl group (—CH3) to a base (adenine or cytosine) in DNA

Question 5

Imprinting control region

Answer 5

• A DNA region that is differentially methylated and plays a role in genomic imprinting

Question 6

maternal effect

Answer 6

• An inheritance pattern for certain nuclear genes in which the genotype of the mother directly determines the phenotypic traits of her offspring