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Biology > DNA & Inheritance > Flashcards

DNA & Inheritance Flashcards

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AP® Biology flashcards Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

How many pairs of chromosomes does a human body cell have?

A

23

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2
Q

What is a gene?

A

A small section of DNA in a chromosome

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3
Q

What is DNA?

A

A double helix polymer

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4
Q

What do genes do?

A

They code for a specific sequence of amino acids in order to make a specific protein. It is the unit of heredity. They contain instructions for individual characteristics.

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5
Q

What is the genome?

A

The entire genetic material of an organism

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6
Q

What is DNA made of?

A

Two long strands of small units that repeat throughout the structure, called nucleotides

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7
Q

What does a nucleotide consist of?

A

Alternating sugar and phosphate sections and one of 4 types of bases attached to the sugar

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8
Q

What are the 4 bases called?

A

Adenine, Thiamine, Cytosine and Guanine

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9
Q

How does complimentary base pairing work?

A

A always joins with T
C always joins with G
Hydrogen bonds connect the bases (2 for C&G, 3 for A&T)

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10
Q

What holds the two strands of DNA together?

A

Attraction between bases

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11
Q

How does our body make proteins?

A

Protein synthesis

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12
Q

What is the ‘triplet code’

A

The sequence of 3 bases that code for an amino acid

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13
Q

How can we change the protein made by a gene?

A

By changing the sequence of bases in the gene

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14
Q

Describe the structure of DNA

A

A polymer consisting of nucleotides made up of phosphate, pentose sugar and a base attached to the sugar. The sugar and phosphate create the backbone (two strands), connected by attractions between complimentary nitrogenous bases, making a double helix shape

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15
Q

What are the steps in genetic profiling?

A
  1. Isolation - DNA taken e.g. by cheek swab and extracted from the cell’s nucleus
  2. Fragmentation - Chromosomes broken up into shorter segments of DNA by enzymes
  3. Separation - DNA fragments placed on gel and put through gel electrophoresis (electric current separating the fragments into size order)
  4. Comparison - Results can be compared to other DNA
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16
Q

What can genetic profiling be useful for?

A

Catching criminals (observing whether 2 DNA fingerprints are the same)
Identifying species
Paternity cases (identifying genes)
Identifying disease genes

17
Q

What are the ethical issues associated with genetic profiling?

A

Invasion of privacy
Misuse of info
Set up crime scenes/mistaken suspects
Family problems

18
Q

How do DNA fragments move in electrophoresis?

A

Big fragments move slowly and small fragments move further and faster

19
Q

What are alleles?

A

Different forms/variants/versions of the same gene. Humans have pairs of every gene, so two alleles are present in one gene pair

20
Q

What is the difference between the dominant and recessive allele?

A

A dominant allele is always expressed, regardless of the identity of the other allele while a recessive allele is only expressed if the other allele is also recessive.

21
Q

What are identical alleles for the same characteristic called (e.g. AA or aa)

A

Homozygous

22
Q

What are different alleles for the same characteristic called? (e.g. Aa)

A

Heterozygous

23
Q

What is a phenotype?

A

An observed characteristic determined by the interaction between the genotype and the environment

24
Q

What is a genotype?

A

The combination of alleles an organism has

25
Q

Will a person with a heterozygous genotype receive the dominant or recessive phenotype?

A

Dominant

26
Q

In a Punnett square, what names are given to the generations?

A

Parents - F0 generation
Offspring - F1 generation
Their offspring - F2 generation
etc.

27
Q

Which Punnett square would give a 50:50 chance of each phenotype?

A

Rr*rr

28
Q

Which combination of sex chromosomes (X&Y) produce offspring of male or female biological sex?

A

Female - XX

Male - XY

29
Q

Which sex chromosome does an egg contain?

A

One X chromosome

30
Q

Which sex chromosome does a sperm contain?

A

One X OR One Y chromosome

31
Q

What does a Punnett square for gender determination look like?

A

The mother is always XX
The father is always XY
50% of the children are XX (girls) and 50% are XY (boys)

32
Q

What is genetic engineering?

A

Changing the genetic material of an organism by removing, changing or inserting individual genes from another source to produce a desired characteristic

33
Q

When is genetic engineering used?

A

Inserting genes into crop plants to give it resistance to herbicides

Inserting genes into crop plants to provide additional vitamins

Inserting human genes into bacteria to produce human insulin

Inserting genes into crop plants to give it resistance to insects

34
Q

What are the advantages of genetically modified (GM) crops?

A

They generally show increased yields
They help provide nutrients missing in diets of people from developing nations (avoiding deficiencies)
Popular in some areas of the world and no complications so far

35
Q

What are the advantages of genetic engineering?

A

Prevents inherited diseases

Improves food production efficiency

36
Q

What are the disadvantages of genetically modified (GM) crops?

A

Could negatively impact wild flower and insect populations, reducing biodiversity
Could have long-term effects on human health after consumption
If transplanted genes managed to escape into the natural environment, we could accidentally create a ‘superweed’ that is resistant to herbicides

37
Q

What are some concerns about genetic engineering?

A

Because it is recent, we do not know the long-term effects it may have
Some consider it unethical to create new life forms or move genes between species.

38
Q

What is known as a permanent change in the nucleotide sequence of DNA?

A

A mutation

39
Q

What is embryonic screening?

A

Testing an embryo for the presence of a particular allele or other genetic abnormality. It allows couples at risk of transmitting a genetic disease to ensure their future children are unaffected by the disease without going through the process of prenatal diagnosis

Biology (10 decks)

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