Genetics and Variation - DNA, genes and protein synthesis: Key Terms Flashcards
Gene
Section of DNA on a chromosome coding for one or more polypeptides
Locus
A section of DNA that is located at a particular position
Degenerate
Most amino acids are coded for by more than one triplet
Non-overlapping
Each base is only included in one triplet code, each base in the sequence is only read once.
Universal
Each triplet codes for the same amino acid in all organisms
Exons
Coding sequences
Introns
Non-coding sequences
Histones
The protein that eukaryotic DNA associates with in chromosomes
Chromosomes
A thread-like structure made of protein and DNA by which hereditary information is physically passed from one generation to the next
Chromatids
One of the two strands of a chromosome that are joined together by a single centromere.
Homologous pairs
A pair of chromosomes that have the same gene loci and therefore determine the same features
Diploid number
A term applied to cells in which the nucleus contains two sets of chromosomes
Haploid number
A term referring to cells that contain only a single copy of each chromosome
Allele
One of a number of forms of a gene
mRNA
The type of RNA that transfers the DNA code from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, acts as a type of messenger.
