DNA Flashcards
1
Q
What is a Gene?
A
A distinct sequence of nucleotides forming part of a chromosome -> the ordering of the base pairs in genes provide the chemical instructions to manufacture proteins
2
Q
What is a Locus?
A
A site within the genome
3
Q
What is an Allele?
A
A variant form of a gene, some are dominant while others are recessive
4
Q
What is a Phenotype?
A
The observed characteristic expressed by the gene
5
Q
What is a Genotype?
A
The allelic make up of a person
6
Q
What is Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)?
A
- DNA located in mitochondria that comes only from the mother
- Circular shape
- Each cell contains 100’s of copies
7
Q
What is Polymerase Chain Reaction?
A
- A technique used primarily to increase the amount of DNA by amplification
- PCR process involves three steps which all take place within a thermal cycler; denaturation, annealing and extension
8
Q
What are Short Tandem Repeats?
A
Occur when a pattern of two or more nucleotides are repeated and the repeated sequences are directly adjacent to each other
