How Genes Work Flashcards
Null
Alleles that do not function.
Genetic Screen
Any technique for picking a particular type of mutants out of randomly generated mutants.
Proteins
The workers of cells, functioning enzymes, motors, structural elements, transporters, signals, and regulators.
Transcription
The process of using a DNA template to make an RNA molecule that has a base sequence complementary to the DNA.
Translation
The process of using the information in mRNA to synthesize proteins.
Reverse Transcriptase
An enzyme that can synthesize DNA from an RNA template.
Genetic Code
The rules that specify the relationship between a sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA and the sequence of amino acids in a protein.
Codon
A group of 3 bases that specifies a particular amino acid.
Reading Frame
A series of adjacent non-overlapping, 3 base long sequences in DNA or RNA.
Point Mutation
Mutation that alters the sequence of one or a small number of base pairs.
Missense Mutations
Point mutation that change the identity of an amino acid in a protein.
Silent Mutation
Point mutation that does not change the amino acid sequence of the gene product.
Frameshift Mutation
Point mutation with addition or deletion of a single base pair that shifts the reading frame.
Nonsense Mutation
Point mutation that occurs when a codon that specifies an amino acid is changed by the mutation to one that specifies a stop codon.
Polyploidy
State of having more than two of each chromosome.
