Biology Lecture Review: Genetic Information and Mutations

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the lecture notes related to genetic information and mutations.

Polycistronic mRNA

mRNA that encodes multiple proteins and has multiple start and stop codons.

Point mutation

A change in a single nucleotide base in the DNA sequence, which can be silent, missense, or nonsense.

Frameshift mutation

A mutation caused by insertion or deletion of nucleotides that changes the reading frame of the genetic message.

Intron

Non-coding regions of a gene that are spliced out during mRNA processing.

Exon

Coding regions of a gene that remain in mRNA after splicing and are expressed.

Alternative splicing

A process that allows a single gene to code for multiple proteins by varying the exons included in the final mRNA.

Gel electrophoresis

A technique used to separate DNA, RNA, or protein fragments according to their size and charge.

Restriction enzymes

Proteins that cut DNA at specific sequences, used in genetic engineering and DNA analysis.

Shine-Dalgarno sequence

A ribosomal binding site in bacterial mRNA that is essential for initiating translation.

RNA processing

The modifications that pre-mRNA undergoes, including capping, polyadenylation, and splicing, to become mature mRNA.