Genetics: Key Concepts and Experiments

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary and key concepts related to genetics, molecular biology, and gene expression.

Properties of Genetic Material

Genetic material must replicate, store information, express information, and allow variation.

Griffith's Transformation Experiment (1928)

Discovered the 'transforming principle' that allowed the non-virulent R strain of bacteria to become virulent.

Properties of Genetic Material

Genetic material must replicate, store information, express information, and allow variation.

Griffith's Transformation Experiment (1928)

Discovered the 'transforming principle' that allowed the non-virulent R strain of bacteria to become virulent.

Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty Experiment (1944)

Demonstrated that DNA is the transforming principle responsible for genetic inheritance in bacteria.

Hershey-Chase Experiment (1952)

Used bacteriophages to show that DNA, not protein, is the genetic material of viruses.

Chargaff's Rules

A=T and G=C; base pairing rules that indicate the ratios of nitrogenous bases in DNA.

DNA Double Helix

Model characterized by a sugar-phosphate backbone and nitrogenous bases paired via hydrogen bonds.

Semi-conservative Replication

Each new DNA strand consists of one original and one newly synthesized strand.

Transcription

The process of copying DNA into RNA, occurring in three stages: initiation, elongation, termination.

Eukaryotic mRNA Processing

Includes 5' capping, splicing, and poly-A tail addition to protect mRNA and prepare it for translation.

Translation

The process where ribosomes synthesize proteins based on mRNA sequence, involving initiation, elongation, and termination.

Mutation

A permanent alteration in the DNA sequence, which can be spontaneous or induced by environmental factors.

Operons

Clusters of genes in prokaryotes regulated as a unit, allowing efficient gene expression control.

Lac Operon

An inducible operon in E. coli that regulates lactose metabolism, turned on by the presence of lactose.

Heterochromatin vs. Euchromatin

Heterochromatin is tightly packed and transcriptionally inactive, while euchromatin is loosely packed and actively transcribed.

CRISPR-Cas9

A gene editing technology that allows for precise modifications in an organism's DNA sequence.

RNA Interference (RNAi)

A biological process in which RNA molecules inhibit gene expression by degrading mRNA.