Intro To Euk Genetics Flashcards
What are genes?
Carriers of heritable information
Genes play a crucial role in determining the phenotype of an organism.
What defines a eukaryote?
Rise of complex life
Organisms with complex cells containing a nucleus
Eukaryotes include animals, plants, and fungi.
How are genes inherited?
Through processes such as mitosis and meiosis
Mitosis involves somatic cells, while meiosis is involved in gamete formation.
What is the rise of complex life associated with?
Coupling energy with information
This is a significant evolutionary development in the history of life.
What is a eukaryote gene?
An inheritable sequence of DNA with an associated function contributing towards the phenotype (function) of the organism during development and/or aging
How many genomes do eukaryotes have?
Two: mitochondrial and nuclear
The mitochondrial genome is maternally inherited.
What is the fundamental unit of chromatin?
Nucleosome
Chromatin is made up of DNA and histone proteins.
What is the main genomic feature that controls transcription?
Regulatory regions
These regions are recognized by factors controlling gene expression.
What is the difference between mitosis and meiosis?
Mitosis ensures that both daughter cells inherit one copy of the duplicated genome.
However, the cytoplasmic material can be asymmetrically distributed leading to reprogramming of one daughter cell
Meiosis produces haploid genomes to enable sexual reproduction and increase genetic diversity via recombination
What is the role of telomeres?
Stabilize the ends of chromosomes
Act like caps to keep linear structure
Telomeres prevent chromosomes from recombining or fusing with others.
What happens to telomeres during DNA replication?
They shorten after each round of replication until it becomes a stop signal for replication
This shortening is prevented in certain cell types by the enzyme telomerase.
What is the significance of crossing-over in meiosis?
Generates new combinations of alleles on chromosomes
This increases genetic variability among offspring.
What is independent assortment in meiosis?
The generation of different combinations of chromosomes in gametes
It can generate 2^n different gametes, where n is the haploid chromosome number.
True or False: Mitosis and meiosis both occur in the G2 phase of the cell cycle.
True
Both processes begin after DNA replication in the G2 phase.
How many crossovers occur in humans during meiosis?
40-95 per meiosis
This number is generally higher in females than in males.