Mutations, Repair and Recombination Flashcards
What is an allele?
one of several alternative forms of a gene. In a diploid cell, each gene will typically have two alleles, occupying the corresponding position (locus) on homologous chromosomes
What are AP endonucleases?
an enzyme that is involved in theDNA base excision repair pathway (BER). Its main role in the repair of damaged or mismatched nucleotides inDNAis to create a nick in the phosphodiester backbone of theAPsite created whenDNAglycosylase removes the damaged base
What is an ATM protein?
protein kinase activated by double-strand DNA breaks. If breaks are not repaired, ATM initiates a signal cascade that cumulates in cell cycle arrest
What is base excision repair?
DNA repair pathway in which single faulty bases are removed from the DNA helix and replaced
What is base substitution?
A type of mutation involving replacement orsubstitutionof a single nucleotidebasewith another in DNA or RNA molecule
What is branch migration?
the process by which base pairs on homologousDNAstrands are consecutively exchanged at a Holliday junction, moving thebranchpoint up or down theDNA sequence
What is deamination?
the removal of anaminogroup from amolecule
What is a deletion mutation?
A type ofmutationwherein one or fewnucleotidebase pairs are deleted or lost from achromosomeespecially during thereplicationof genetic material
What is depurination?
The removal, by hydrolysis, of a purine base fromDNA.
What is DNA glycosylase?
An enzyme involved in base excision repair that catalyze the first step of this process. They remove the damaged nitrogenous base while leaving the sugar-phosphate backbone intact, creating an apurinic/apyrimidinic site, commonly referred to as anAP site
What is a duplication mutation?
A particular kind ofmutationinvolving the production of one or more copies of any piece ofDNA, including sometimes ageneor even an entire chromosome
What is a frameshift?
agenetic mutationcaused by indels (insertions or deletions) of a number of nucleotides in a DNA sequence that is not divisible by three
What is gene conversion?
process by which DNA sequence information can be transferred from one DNA helix (which remains unchanged) to another DNA helix whose sequence is altered. It often accompanies general recombination events
What is a germline mutation?
Agenechange in a body’s reproductive cell (egg or sperm) that becomes incorporated into theDNAof every cell in the body of the offspring.Germline mutationsare passed on from parents to offspring
What is a heteroduplex?
a double-stranded (duplex) molecule of nucleic acid originated through thegeneticrecombination of single complementary strands derived from different sources, such as from different homologous chromosomes or even from different organisms
What is a heterozygote advantage?
the case in which theheterozygousgenotype has a higher relative fitness than either the homozygous dominant or homozygous recessive genotype
What is a Holliday junction?
X-shaped structure observed in DNA undergoing recombination, in which the two DNA molecules are held together at the site of crossing-over, also called a cross-strand exchange
What are homologous chromosomes?
the maternal and paternal copies of a particular chromosome in a diploid cell
What is a homozygote?
an individual having two copies of the same allele at a locus
What is an insertion mutation?
A type of mutation characterized by the insertion of one or few nucleotide base pairs to a chromosome
What is an inversion mutation?
A defect in thechromosomein which a segment of thechromosomebreaks off and reinserted in the same place but in thereversedirection relative to the rest of thechromosome
What is a Ku protein?
a dimeric protein complex that binds toDNAdouble-strand breakendsand is required for thenon-homologous end joining(NHEJ) pathway ofDNA repair
What is meiosis I?
the first of two rounds of chromosome segregation following meiotic chromosome duplication; segregated the homologs, each composed of a tightly linked pair of sister chromatids
What is meiosis II?
the second of two rounds of chromosome segregation following meiotic chromosome duplication; segregated the sister chromatids of each homolog
What is a missense mutation?
A form of pointmutationresulting in a codon that codes for a different amino acid, and thus, causes the synthesis of a protein with an altered amino acid sequence during translation
What is mitosis?
the process where a single cell divides resulting in generally two identical cells, each containing the same number of chromosomes andgeneticcontent as that of the original cell
What is a mutagen?
a physical or chemical agent that changes thegeneticmaterial, usuallyDNA, of an organism and thus increases the frequency of mutations above the natural background level
What is a mutation?
heritable change in the nucleotide sequence of a chromosome
What is natural selection?
A process fundamental to evolution as described by Charles Darwin. Bynatural selection, any characteristic of an individual that allows it to survive to produce more offspring will eventually appear in every individual of the species, simply because those members will have more offspring
What is nonhomologous end joining?
a DNA repair mechanism for double-strand breaks in which the broken ends of DNA are brought together and rejoined by DNA ligation, generally with the loss of one or more nucleotides at the site of joining