genetic information (DNA) Flashcards
how does DNA exist in eukaryotic cells?
as chromosomes
what is a chromosome?
thread like structure, made up of a long molecule of DNA
how is eukaryotic DNA condensed to fit into the cell?
wound around proteins called histones, which support the DNA
which organelles have their own DNA?
mitochondria and chloroplasts
what is the DNA in mitochondria and chloroplasts similar to?
prokaryotic cells
how does prokaryotic DNA condense to fit into the cell?
by supercoiling
how is DNA different in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells?
prokaryotic DNA not bound to a protein
prokaryotic DNA circular not linear
prokaryotic DNA doesn’t have introns
prokaryotic DNA is smaller
what is a gene?
sequence of DNA bases that codes for a polypeptide or RNA
what does the sequence of amino acids form?
the primary structure of a protein
what is an amino acid coded for by?
sequence of 3 bases = triplet
what is genome?
complete set of genes in a cell
what is a proteome?
range of proteins that a cell can produce
what is an intron?
non coding section of DNA
what is an exon?
coding section of DNA
why are introns removed in protein synthesis?
so they don’t affect the amino acid order