Lecture 1 - 9 Terms Flashcards
(102 cards)
What is a virus?
small pieces of nucleic acid. Can be DNA or RNA
What is a prion?
Misfolded proteins that can infect cells (a type of virus)
What is a viriod?
a bare piece of RNA that causes diseases in plants.
What is a genome?
An organisms complete set of DNA.
What is a transcriptome?
An organisms complete set of mRNA.
Genomics
the study of sequencing/assembling/analyzing genomes.
metagenomics
collecting environmental samples of earth and sequencing the bits of DNA/RNA found in soil.
Define a macromolecule.
a molecule with over 1,000 atoms. Often polymers.
Define small molecules
less than 1,000 atoms. often are monomers.
give examples of polymers.
starch, glycogen, cellulose, DNA/RNA, proteins, phospholipids.
give examples of monomers
monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose), nucleotides, amino acids, ATP/ADP, GTP,GDP
What are chromosomes.
pieces of DNA and proteins linked to each other.
Define the term ploidy.
the number of sets of chromosomes in a cell. most animals are diploid, gametes are haploid.
what is a dyad?
a pair of sister chromatids. they will be separated during mitosis.
what is recombination?
when two sister chromatids swap genetic material while lined up on the metaphase plate. occurs during. Prophase I
what is aneuploidy?
an abnormal number of chromosomes.
what is trisomy?
one extra chromosome
What is monosomy?
a missing chromosome
Define translocations.
a DNA segment that is moved from one chromosome to a different chromosome (not a homologue)
what is an inversion?
a segment of DNA that is flipped. it will be coding backwards.
what is a deletion?
a segment of DNA is cut out of the DNA.
what is an insertion?
a segment of DNA is inserted into a different area on the same chromosome.
what is a centromere?
the middle of the chromosome. contains constitutive DNA (heterochromatin).
what is constitutive DNA?
Constitutive heterochromatin is the stable form of heterochromatin, i.e. it does not loosen up to form euchromatin, and contains repeated sequences of DNA called satellite DNA. It can be found in centromeres and telomeres, and is usually involved in structural functions.