Vocabulary Unit 6 5-8

Question 1

Operons

Answer 1

a set of two or more adjacent cistrons whose transcription is under the coordinated control of a promoter, an operator, and a regulator gene.

Question 2

Promoter

Answer 2

a site on a DNA molecule at which RNA polymerase binds and initiates transcription.

Question 3

Operator

Answer 3

a segment of DNA that interacts with a regulatory molecule, preventing transcription of the adjacent region.

Question 4

Inducible

Answer 4

to increase expression of (a gene) by inactivating a negative control system or activating a positive control system; derepress.

Question 5

Cytoplasmic determinants

Answer 5

special molecules which play a very important role during oocyte maturation, in the female’s ovary.

Question 6

Allosteric inhibitor

Answer 6

the regulation of an enzyme by binding an effector molecule at a site other than the enzyme’s active site.

Question 7

Regulatory gene

Answer 7

a gene that regulates the expression of one or more structural genes by controlling the production of a protein (such as a genetic repressor) which regulates their rate of transcription.

Question 8

Allosteric activator

Answer 8

bind to locations on an enzyme away from the active site, inducing a conformational change that increases the affinity of the enzyme’s active site(s) for its substrate(s).

Question 9

Control elements

Answer 9

generic term for a region of dna, such as a promoter or enhancer adjacent to (or within) a gene that allows the regulation of gene Expression by the binding of transcription factors.

Question 10

Histone acetylation

Answer 10

a critical epigenetic modification that changes chromatin architecture and regulates gene expression by opening or closing the chromatin structure.

Question 11

DNA methylation

Answer 11

A chemical reaction in the body in which a small molecule called a methyl group gets added to DNA, proteins, or other molecules.

Question 12

Epigenetic inheritance

Answer 12

a parent’s experiences, in the form of epigenetic tags, can be passed down to future generations.

Question 13

Gene

Answer 13

The basic unit of heredity passed from parent to child.

Question 14

differentiation

Answer 14

The process during which young, immature (unspecialized) cells take on individual characteristics and reach their mature (specialized) form and function.

Question 15

Morphogenesis

Answer 15

the processes by which order is created in the developing organism.

Question 16

Repressible

Answer 16

a type of operon in which the transcription of the gene is repressed by the presence of a particular substance.

Question 17

Induction

Answer 17

process by which the presence of one tissue influences the development of others.

Question 18

Homeotic genes

Answer 18

master regulator genes that direct the development of particular body segments or structures.

Question 19

Apoptosis

Answer 19

A type of cell death in which a series of molecular steps in a cell lead to its death

Question 20

Pattern Formation

Answer 20

the developmental process by which cells acquire different identities, depending on their relative spatial positions within the embryo.

Question 21

Mutations

Answer 21

is a change in the DNA sequence of an organism.

Question 22

Genotype

Answer 22

the genetic makeup of an organism

Question 23

Phenotype

Answer 23

The observable characteristics in an individual resulting from the expression of genes

Question 24

Nondisjunction

Answer 24

the failure of the chromosomes to separate, which produces daughter cells with abnormal numbers of chromosomes

Question 25

Translocation

Answer 25

A genetic change in which a piece of one chromosome breaks off and attaches to another chromosome.

Question 26

Inversion

Answer 26

A chromosomal defect in which a segment of the chromosome breaks off and reattaches in the reverse direction.

Question 27

Deletion

Answer 27

A type of genetic change that involves the absence of a segment of DNA.

Question 28

Horizontal gene transfer

Answer 28

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is the movement of genetic information between organisms,

Question 29

Transformation

Answer 29

the specific process where exogenous genetic material is directly taken up and incorporated by a cell through its cell membrane.

Question 30

Conjugation

Answer 30

the process by which one bacterium transfers genetic material to another through direct contact

Question 31

Transposition

Answer 31

a process by which segments of a chromosome are relocated through the genome.

Question 32

Point Mutation

Answer 32

A genetic alteration caused by the substitution of a single nucleotide for another nucleotide.

Question 33

Duplication

Answer 33

a type of mutation in which one or more copies of a DNA segment (which can be as small as a few bases or as large as a major chromosomal region) is produced.

Question 34

Transduction

Answer 34

The process by which a cell responds to substances outside the cell through signaling molecules found on the surface of and inside the cell.

Question 35

Substitution

Answer 35

a type of mutation in which one nucleotide is replaced by a different nucleotide.

Question 36

Gel electrophoresis

Answer 36

a laboratory method used to separate mixtures of DNA, RNA, or proteins according to molecular size.

Question 37

PCR

Answer 37

laboratory method used to make many copies of a specific piece of DNA from a sample that contains very tiny amounts of that DNA.

Question 38

DNA Sequencing

Answer 38

the general laboratory technique for determining the exact sequence of nucleotides, or bases, in a DNA molecule