Genomes

Question 1

Genome

Answer 1

All of the hereditary information in an organism, including not only genes but also other non-gene stretches of DNA.

Question 2

human genome project

Answer 2

The multinational research project that sequenced the human genome.

Question 3

genomics

Answer 3

The field of study concerned with sequencing, interpreting, and comparing whole genomes from different organisms.

Question 4

functional genomics

Answer 4

The study of how a genome works, that is, when and where specific genes are expressed and how their products interact to produce a functional organism.

Question 5

shotgun sequencing

Answer 5

A method of sequencing genomes that is based on breaking the genome into small pieces, sequencing each piece separately, and then figuring out how the pieces are connected.

Question 6

bacterial artificial chromosome

Answer 6

An artificial version of a bacterial chromosome that can be used as a cloning vector to produce many copies of large DNA fragments.

Question 7

BAC library

Answer 7

A collection of all the sequences found in the genome of a species, inserted into bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs).

Question 8

bioinformatics

Answer 8

The field of study concerned with managing, analyzing, and interpreting biological information, particularly DNA sequences.

Question 9

What types of organisms are selected for whole genome sequencing?

Answer 9

bacteria that cause disease or have interesting biological properties.

Question 10

What is the most basic task in annotating or interpreting a genome?

Answer 10

Identify which bases constitute genes

Question 11

homology

Answer 11

Similarity among organisms of different species due to their inheritance from a common ancestor. Features that exhibit such similarity (e.g., DNA sequences, proteins, body parts) are said to be homologous

Question 12

What is the relation between prokaryote size and metabolic function?

Answer 12

more metabolic function, greater genome size

Question 13

Lateral gene transfer

Answer 13

Transfer of DNA between two different species, especially distantly related species. Commonly occurs among bacteria and archaea via plasmid exchange; also can occur in eukaryotes via viruses and some other mechanisms.

Question 14

environmental sequencing

Answer 14

The inventory of all the genes in a community or ecosystem by sequencing, analyzing, and comparing the genomes of the component organisms.

Question 15

What are the two biggest challenges in sequencing eukaryotes?

Answer 15

• size
• genomes are dominated by sequences that occur between genes or inside introns and do not code for products used by the organism

Question 16

transposable elements

Answer 16

Any of several kinds of DNA sequences which are capable of moving themselves, or copies of themselves, to other locations in the genome. Include LINEs and SINEs.

Question 17

Are transposable elements seen as beneficial to the host’s fitness?

Answer 17

no, considered parasitic

Question 18

Long interspersed nuclear element(LINE)

Answer 18

The most abundant class of transposable elements in human genomes; can create copies of itself and insert them elsewhere in the genome. Are much longer than SINEs, which move by a similar mechanism.

Question 19

microsatellites

Answer 19

A noncoding stretch of eukaryotic DNA consisting of a repeating sequence 1- to 5-base pair long. Also called the simple sequence repeat.

Question 20

minisatellites

Answer 20

A noncoding stretch of eukaryotic DNA consisting of a repeating sequence that is 6 to 500 base pairs long. Also called the variable number tandem repeat.

Question 21

unequal crossover

Answer 21

An error in crossing over during meiosis I in which the two non-sister chromatids match up at different sites. Results in gene duplication in one chromatid and gene loss in the other.

Question 22

DNA fingerprinting

Answer 22

Any of several methods for identifying individuals by unique features of their genomes. Commonly involves using PCR to produce many copies of certain simple sequence repeats (microsatellites) and then analyzing their lengths.

Question 23

psuedogene

Answer 23

A DNA sequence that closely resembles a functional gene but is not transcribed. Thought to have arisen by duplication of the functional gene followed by inactivation due to a mutation.

Question 24

What is the great paradox of eukaryotic genomes?

Answer 24

Complex creatures do not necessarily have a relatively large amount of genes. eg. humans have less genes than mice

Question 25

alternative splicing

Answer 25

In eukaryotes, the splicing of primary RNA transcripts from a single gene in different ways to produce different mature mRNAs and thus different polypeptides.

Question 26

regulatory sequence

Answer 26

Any segment of DNA that is involved in controlling transcription of a specific gene by binding certain proteins.

Question 27

regulatory gene

Answer 27

DNA sequences that code for regulatory proteins, products that alter gene expression.

Question 28

structural gene

Answer 28

A stretch of DNA that codes for a functional protein or functional RNA molecule, not including any regulatory sequences (e.g., a promoter, enhancer).