Module 4 - DNA, genes and chromosomes Flashcards
What is a gene?
A gene is a section of a DNA sequence that codes for a polypeptide chain or functional RNA
What is an allele?
An allele is a different version of the gene from the same polypeptide
How is DNA different in Eukaryotes compared to prokaryotes?
In Eukaryotes it is long, linear and wound around histone proteins. In prokaryotes it is short, circular ad not wound to histone proteins
What organelles have their own DNA? how is it similar to prokaryotes?
Chloroplasts and mitochondria. They are both short and circular and are not associated with histone proteins
What is a triplet of DNA bases in a sequence called?
Codon
What is a genome and proteome?
Genome is the compete set of all genes in a cell. Proteome is the full range of proteins that a cell is able to produce
What are introns and exons?
Introns don’t code for amino acids to make polypeptides. Exons are the areas that do code to make amino acids.
What are multiple repeats?
This is when DNA sequences are repeated over and over again in a gene.
What is the locus?
A fixed position on every chromosome where a specific allele will always be.
What is a homologous pair? Example
This is a pair where both chromosomes contain the same genes but can have different alleles. Two 1 chromosomes will form a homologous pair.
What is meant by non-overlapping?
This means that in each triplet, the next triplet cannot contain a DNA base from the previous triplet.
What is meant by amino acids being degenerate?
This is when one or more codons can code for one amino acid
How many possible triplets are there?
64
