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| The father of genetics, discovered the principles of heredity in the mid-19th century using defined crosses of pea plants. |
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| discovered DNA, the birth of molecular genetics |
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| Central Dogma of Molecular Biology |
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| The science that deals with the structure and function of genes and their transmission from one generation to the next (heredity). |
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| deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) |
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Definition
| A polymeric molecule consisting of deoxyribonucleotide building blocks that in a double-stranded, double-helical form is the genetic material of most organisms and some viruses. |
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| A usually single-stranded polymeric molecule consisting of ribonucleotide building blocks. |
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| The total amount of genetic material in a chromosome set; in eukaryotes, this is the amount of genetic material in the haploid set of chromosomes of the organism. |
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| The type of monomeric molecule found in RNA and DNA. Nucleotides consist of three distinct parts: a pentose (ribose in RNA, deoxyribose in DNA), a nitrogenous base (a purine or pyrimidine), and a phosphate group. |
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| Purine or pyrimidine component of a nucleotide; adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine/uracil. |
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| The physical and functional unit that helps determine the traits passed on from parents to offspring; also called Mendelian factor. In molecular terms, a gene is a nucleotide sequence in DNA that specifies a polypeptide or RNA. Alterations in a gene’s sequence can give rise to species and individual variation. |
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| In eukaryotic cells, a linear structure composed of a single DNA molecule complexed with protein. Each eukaryotic species has a characteristic number of chromosomes in the nucleus of its cells. Most prokaryotic cells contain a single, usually circular chromosome. |
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| One of two or more alternative forms of a single gene that can exist at the same locus in the genome. All the alleles of a gene determine the same hereditary trait (e.g., seed color), but each has a unique nucleotide sequence, which may result in different phenotypes (e.g., yellow or green seeds). |
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| Describing a diploid organism having the same alleles at one or more genetic loci and therefore producing gametes of identical genotypes. |
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| Describing a diploid organism having different alleles of one or more genes and therefore producing gametes of different genotypes. |
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| The complete genetic makeup (allelic composition) of an organism. The term is commonly used in reference to the specific alleles present at just one or a limited number of genetic loci. |
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| The observable characteristics of an organism that are produced by the genotype and its interaction with the environment. |
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| The overall process by which a gene produces its product and the product carries out its function. |
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| one gene-one enzyme hypothesis |
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| The hypothesis that each gene controls the synthesis of one enzyme. Modified into the one gene-one polypeptide hypothesis. |
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| One gene-one polypeptide hypothesis |
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Definition
| The hypothesis that each gene controls the synthesis of a polypeptide chain. Modified from the one gene-one enzyme hypothesis. |
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| The process for making a single-stranded RNA molecule complementary to one strand (the template strand) of a double-stranded DNA molecule, thereby transferring information from DNA to RNA. Also called RNA synthesis. |
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| Any enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of RNA molecules from a DNA template in a process called transcription. |
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| Class of RNA molecules that contain coded information specifying the amino acid sequences of proteins. |
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| Class of RNA molecules that bring amino acids to ribosomes, where they are transferred to growing polypeptide chains during translation. |
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| Class of RNA molecules of several different sizes that along with ribosomal proteins make up ribosomes of prokaryotes and eukaryotes. |
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| small nuclear RNA (snRNA) |
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Definition
| Class of RNA molecules, found only in eukaryotes, that associate with certain proteins to form small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs). |
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| The process that converts the nucleotide sequence of an mRNA into the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide. Also called protein synthesis. |
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| A large, complex cellular particle composed of ribosomal protein and rRNA molecules that is the site of amino acid polymerization during protein synthesis (translation). |
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| The set of three-nucleotide sequences (codons) within mRNA that carries the information for specifying the amino acid sequence of a polypeptide. |
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| A group of three adjacent nucleotides in an mRNA molecule that specifies either one amino acid in a polypeptide chain or the termination of polypeptide synthesis. |
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| In bacteria, a cluster of adjacent genes that share a common operator and promoter and are transcribed into a single mRNA. All the genes in an operon are regulated coordinately; that is, all are transcribed or none are transcribed. |
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| Any detectable and heritable change in the genetic material not caused by genetic recombination; Mutations may occur within or between genes and are the ultimate source of all new genetic variation. |
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| A process by which parents with different alleles give rise to progeny with genotypes that differ from either parent. For example, parents with A B and a b genotypes can produce recombinant progeny with A b and a B genotypes. |
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| The favoring of particular combinations of genes in a given environment. |
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| hypothetico-deductive method of investigation |
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Definition
| Research method involving making observations, forming hypotheses to explain the observations, making experimental predictions based on the hypotheses, and, finally, testing the predictions. The last step produces new observations, so a cycle is set up leading to a refinement of the hypotheses and perhaps eventually to the establishment of a law or an accepted principle. |
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| Study of how genes are passed from one individual to another. Also called classical genetics. |
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| Study of how genetic information is encoded within DNA and how biochemical processes of the cell translate the genetic information into the phenotype.monoeciousReferring to plant species in which individual plants possess both male and female sex organs and thus produce male and female gametes. Monoecious plants are capable of self-fertilization. |
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| Study of the consequences of Mendelian inheritance on the population level, including the mathematical description of a population’s genetic composition and how it changes over time. |
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| Study of the inheritance of complex characteristics that are determined by multiple genes. |
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| Research done to further knowledge for knowledge’s sake. |
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| Research done with the objective of developing products or processes that can be commercialized or at least made available to humankind for practical benefit. |
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| recombinant DNA technology |
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| A collection of experimental procedures for inserting a DNA fragment from one organism into DNA from another organism and for cloning the new recombinant DNA. |
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| A representation of the relative distances separating genes on a chromosome based on the frequencies of recombination between nonallelic gene loci; also called linkage map. See also physical map. |
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| The position of a gene on a genetic map; the specific place on a chromosome where a gene is located. More broadly, a locus is any chromosomal location that exhibits variation detectable by genetic or molecular analysis. |
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| A unit of measurement for the distance between two genes on a genetic map. A recombination (crossover) frequency of 1 percent between two genes equals 1 map unit. |
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| What 3 qualities make an organism a good model for genetic experimentation? |
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Definition
| 1. The genetic history of the organism is well known. 2. The organism has a short life cycle so that a large number of generations occur within a short time. 3. Mating produces a large number of offspring. 4. The organism is easy to handle. 5. Genetic variation exists between the individuals in the population. |
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| Any organism whose cells have a membrane-bound nucleus in which the genetic material is located and membrane-bound organelles (e.g., mitochondria). Eukaryotes can be unicellular or multicellular and constitute one of the three major evolutionary domains of organisms. See also prokaryote. |
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| A discrete structure within eukaryotic cells that is bounded by a double membrane (the nuclear envelope) and contains most of the DNA of the cell. |
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| An organelle in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells that is the site of transcription of ribosomal RNA genes and assembly of the ribosomal subunits. |
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| Any organism whose genetic material is not located within a membrane-bound nucleus. The prokaryotes include eubacteria and archaebacteria. |
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