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Bio Ch.11
Biological Processes Test
29
Biology
Undergraduate 1
04/23/2012

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Term
Gene regulation
Definition
the turning on and off of genes; helps organisms respond to environmental changes
Term
Gene expression
Definition
the overall process by which genetic information flows from genes to proteins (genotype to phenotype)
Term
Promoter
Definition
a site where the transcription enzyme, RNA polymerase, attaches and initiates transcription
Term
Operator
Definition
In prokaryotic DNA, a sequence of nucleoties near the start of an operon to which an active repressor protein can match; "genetic switch" that can turn all the genes in an operon on or off as a single functional unit
Term
Operon
Definition
a unit of genetic regulation common in prokaryotes; a cluster of genes with related functions, along with the promoter and operator that control their transcription
Term
Repressor
Definition
a protein that functions by binding the the operator and physically blocking the attachment of RNA polymerase to the promoter
Term
Regulatory gene
Definition
located outside the operon, codes for the repressor
Term
Activators
Definition
proteins that turn operons on by binding DNA
Term
Differentiation
Definition
cells become specialized in structure and function, with each type of cell fulfilling a distinct role
Term
Histones
Definition
small protein molecule associated with DNA and important in DNA packaging in the eukaryotic chromosome; eukaryotic chromatic consists of roughly equal parts of DNA and histone protein
Term
Nucleosome
Definition
the bead-like unit DNA packing in a eukaryotic cell; consists of DNA wound around a protein core made up of 8 histone molecules
Term
Epigenic inheirtance
Definition
the inheiritance of traits transmitted by mechanisms not directly involving the nucleotide sequence of a genome, such as a chemical modification of histone proteins or DNA bases
Term
X chromosome inactivation
Definition
in female mammals, the inactivation of one X chromosome in each somatic cell
Term
Barr body
Definition
 a dense body formed from a deactivated X chromosome found in the nuclei of female mammalian cells
Term
Transcription factors
Definition
in a eukaryotic cell, a protein that functions in initiating or regulating transcription; transcription factors bind to DNA or to other proteins that bind to DNA
Term
Enhancers
Definition
helps stimulate the transcription of a gene at some distance from it; functions by means of a transcription factor called an activator, which binds to it and then to the rest of the transcription apparatus
Term
Alternative RNA splicing
Definition
type of regulation at the RNA-processing level in which different mRNA molecules are produced from the same primary transcript, depending on which RNA segments are treated as exons and which as introns
Term
MicroRNAs
Definition
small, single-stranded molecule that associates with one or more proteins in a complex that can degrade or prevent translation of an mRNA with a complementary sequence
Term
RNA interference
Definition
a biotechnology technique used to silence the expression of specific genes
Term
DNA microarray
Definition
a glass slide carrying thousands of different kinds of single-stranded DNA fragments arranged in a grid
Term
Homeotic gene
Definition
a master control that determines the identity of a body structure of a developing organism, presumably by controlling the developemental fate of group cells
Term
Signal transduction pathway
Definition
in cell biology, a series of molecular changes that converts a signal on a target cell's surface to a specific response inside the cell
Term
Clone
Definition
a single organism that is genetically identical to another because it arose from the cloning of a somatic cell
Term
Regeneration
Definition
the regrowth of body parts from pieces of an organism
Term
Nuclear transplantation
Definition
a technique in which the nulcleus of one cell is placed into another cell that already has a nucleus or in which the nucleus has been previously destroyed
Term
Reproductive cloning
Definition
using a somatic cell from a multicellular organism to make one or more genetically identical individuals
Term
Embryonic stem cells
Definition
cell in the early animal embryo that differentiates during developement to give rise to all the different kinds of specialized cells in the body
Term
Therapeutic cloning
Definition
the cloning of human cells by nuclear transplantation for therapeutic purposes, such as the regeneration of embryonic stem cells
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