Vocabulary Flashcards
(26 cards)
Genome
All the genetic content of an organism
Supercoiling
How bacteria package their DNA, condensed by twisting
Euchromatin
Decondensed DNA strands that are accessible to enzymes and transcription factors
Nucleosome
8 Histone protein subunits + DNA wrapped around them
Gene
A particular stretch of nucleotides that produce product when translated by a cell
Promoter
DNA region where enzyme binds to start transcription
Introns
Regions within a gene that are not translated into protein
Domains
Distinct structural and functional units within a protein
Substrate
Molecule acted on by an enzyme
Epigenetics
Heritable changes in gene expression
Transcription Factors
Proteins that regulate gene expression at the transcriptional level
Enzymes
Act to increase the rate of a reaction and emerge unchanged once reaction is complete
Product
Molecule produced by an enzyme
miRNA
Mechanism of gene regulation the degrades mRNA transcripts
Gene Expression
Production of functional proteins
Heterochromatin
Condensed DNA that is typically inaccessible to DNA modifying enzymes and transcription factors
Operator
DNA region where a repressor protein usually binds to stop transcription
Spontaneous Mutations
Occur without any external influence due to errors in DNA replication, spontaneous change in DNA, and mobile genetic elements’ activity within the genome
Transposons
“Jumping-genes”, DNA sequences that can move around the genome
Induced Mutations
These are caused by exposure to specific chemical substances or physical radiation that interacts with DNA in a disruptive manner
Point Mutations
Substitutions (synonymous versus non-synonymous)
Synonymous
silent, same, codes for the same aa residue
Non-synonymous
- missense: changes amino acid residue
- non-sense: causes an early stop codon
Mutations in you germline cells
(cells that generate gametes) can be passed on to your progeny(offspring). Mutations in genes(heritable elements) are called different alleles
