All Flashcards
What is the effect of a mutation in a promoter region?
Can alter the rate of transcription of the gene.
What is the effect of mutations in DNA?
Can alter gene expression and lead to new phenotypes.
What is the effect of natural selection?
Leads to changes in the genetic makeup of a population over time, favoring traits that enhance survival and reproduction.
What is the effect of cell specialization?
Different cells in an organism have different functions because they express different sets of genes.
What is the effect of alternative splicing?
Different mRNA molecules and ultimately different proteins can be produced from the same gene sequence.
What are the key differences between DNA and RNA?
DNA: Double-stranded, uses Thymine (T), contains deoxyribose sugar. | RNA: Single-stranded, uses Uracil (U), contains ribose sugar.
What are the key differences between transcription and translation?
Transcription: DNA to RNA, occurs in the nucleus. | Translation: RNA to Protein, occurs in the cytoplasm at ribosomes.
Differentiate between genotype and phenotype.
Genotype: The genetic makeup of an organism. | Phenotype: The observable traits of an organism.
Compare and contrast enhancers and silencers.
Enhancers: Increase transcription of a gene. | Silencers: Decrease transcription of a gene.
Compare and contrast mutation and recombination.
Mutation: New variations in DNA sequence. | Recombination: Shuffling of genes during sexual reproduction.
What is DNA?
Deoxyribonucleic Acid: The blueprint of life; a double helix made of nucleotides containing a sugar, phosphate, and nitrogenous base (A, T, G, C).
What is RNA?
Ribonucleic Acid: A single-stranded molecule similar to DNA, but uses Uracil (U) instead of Thymine (T). Types include mRNA, tRNA, and rRNA.
Define transcription.
The process of making an RNA copy of a DNA sequence, occurring in the nucleus.
Define translation.
The process of making a protein from an RNA sequence, occurring in the cytoplasm at the ribosomes.
What is a mutation?
A change in the DNA sequence that can alter gene expression and lead to new phenotypes. Can be harmful, beneficial, or neutral.
Define phenotype.
The observable characteristics of an organism, resulting from gene expression and environmental factors.