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Molecular Biology > Chapter 1 AI > Flashcards

Chapter 1 AI Flashcards

(55 cards)

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1
Q

What does LUCA stand for?

A

L ast U niversal C ommon A ncestor

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2
Q

What are the four basic classes of building molecules in living organisms?

A
  • Nucleic acids
  • Proteins
  • Lipids
  • Carbohydrates
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3
Q

What is the function of nucleic acids?

A

Store and carry information

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4
Q

What are proteins made of?

A

Amino acids

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5
Q

What role do lipids play in cells?

A

Form membranes around cells and organelles

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6
Q

What are carbohydrates primarily made of?

A

Small sugars

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7
Q

What is DNA?

A

Deoxyribonucleic acid, the means of storing information in a stable, heritable form

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8
Q

How many nucleotides make up DNA?

A

4 nucleotides

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9
Q

What nucleotides are found in DNA?

A
  • Deoxyguanosine (G)
  • Deoxyadenosine (A)
  • Deoxythymidine (T)
  • Deoxycytidine (C)
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10
Q

What does the order of nucleotides in DNA represent?

A

The information ‘code’

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11
Q

True or False: The double helix structure of DNA is directional.

A

True

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12
Q

What is a genome?

A

All the DNA sequences in an organism, the blueprint for that organism

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13
Q

What is the primary function of RNA?

A

Information transfer

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14
Q

What is the process of copying DNA into RNA called?

A

Transcription

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15
Q

What is the role of RNA polymerase?

A

Synthesizes RNA

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16
Q

Fill in the blank: The process of turning mRNA information into a protein is called _______.

A

Translation

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17
Q

What indicates the start of a protein in mRNA?

A

Methionine (codon AUG)

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18
Q

What are stop codons?

A
  • UAG
  • UGA
  • UAA
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19
Q

How many genes are estimated to be in the human genome?

A

~20,000 genes

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20
Q

True or False: The number of different human gene products is approximately one million.

A

True

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21
Q

What is gene expression?

A

The process of turning genome information into products like RNA or protein

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22
Q

What are the levels at which gene expression is regulated?

A
  • Transcriptional
  • Post-transcriptional
  • Translational
  • Post-translational
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23
Q

What determines the activities of different tissues?

Study These Flashcards
A

Gene regulation

24
Q

What does spatial expression of genes control?

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A

Proper segmentation of the embryo

25
What is the role of the Hy5 protein in Arabidopsis?
Controls seedling height based on light conditions
26
What does it mean for gene expression to be temporally and spatially regulated?
Gene expression varies over time and location within an organism's cells ## Footnote For example, liver cells express different genes than nerve cells.
27
What is the role of the even-skipped gene in Drosophila?
It helps control proper segmentation of the embryo.
28
What is the difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes regarding internal compartments?
Prokaryotes do not have internal membrane-bound compartments; eukaryotes do.
29
What is the nucleoid in prokaryotes?
The region where chromosomal DNA is located.
30
What makes up the cytoplasm of a cell?
The non-specialized regions of a cell.
31
What is one benefit of compartmentalization in eukaryotes?
It allows specialized functions to be confined to certain areas.
32
Where are chromosomes found in eukaryotic cells?
Within the nucleus.
33
What are organelles?
Membrane-bound regions within eukaryotic cells that have distinct functions.
34
What is the endosymbiosis theory?
It posits that mitochondria and chloroplasts originated from endosymbionts.
35
What is the function of the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus?
Involved in protein production and processing.
36
What do the terms phenotype and genotype refer to?
Phenotype: visual features of an organism; Genotype: collective DNA sequence.
37
What does ploidy refer to in organisms?
The number of copies of its genome that an organism has.
38
What is a haploid organism?
An organism with one copy of its genome.
39
What is a diploid organism?
An organism with two copies of its genome.
40
What are alleles?
Copies of a gene that are similar but different.
41
What is forward genetics?
Observing a mutant phenotype and then identifying the gene responsible for it.
42
What is reverse genetics?
Disrupting a gene of interest and observing the resulting phenotype.
43
What can mutations in genes lead to?
They can lead to disease, but not always.
44
What is penetrance in genetics?
The percentage of people with a mutation that will develop the disease.
45
What is a monogenic disease?
A disease caused by a mutation in a single gene.
46
What is a polygenic disease?
A disease that results from changes in several genes.
47
What are point mutations?
Single nucleotide changes that can alter amino acids or introduce stop codons.
48
How do mutations in somatic cells differ from those in germline cells?
Somatic mutations affect only the individual, while germline mutations affect subsequent generations.
49
What is natural selection?
The process where the best-performing gene versions persist in a population.
50
What does a phylogenetic tree indicate?
The relatedness of organisms based on DNA sequence similarity.
51
What are model organisms?
Organisms used to study biological processes and test hypotheses.
52
What is the significance of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences in phylogenetics?
They are similar among organisms, indicating evolutionary relationships.
53
What is unique about viruses regarding replication?
Viruses cannot replicate on their own and must use a host's cellular machinery.
54
What do homologous genes and proteins indicate?
They perform the same functions in different organisms but may have different names.
55
How is nomenclature different for wild-type and mutant genes in yeast?
Wild-type is uppercase, mutant is lowercase; italics for genes and non-italics for proteins.

Molecular Biology (8 decks)

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