Foundations of Biology 2 Weekly Study Guide

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from the Foundations of Biology 2 lecture notes.

Prokaryotes

Morphologically simple but metabolically diverse organisms.

Photoheterotrophy

A form of metabolism that uses light energy and organic compounds.

Chemoautotrophy

Metabolism in which organisms use inorganic compounds as energy sources.

Horizontal gene transfer

The transfer of genetic material between organisms in a manner other than traditional reproduction.

Extremeophiles

Organisms that thrive in extreme environmental conditions.

Hibernation

A state of inactivity and metabolic depression in animals during winter.

Selective gene expression

The process by which specific genes are expressed in certain cells or under specific conditions.

Operons

Groups of genes controlled by a single promoter, functioning as a unit in prokaryotic gene expression.

Promoter

A DNA sequence that initiates transcription of a gene.

Sigma factors

Proteins that bind to RNA polymerase and help it recognize the promoter.

LAC Operon

A well-studied example of gene regulation in E. coli that controls lactose metabolism.

Negative control

Regulation of transcription where a repressor protein binds to the operator and inhibits transcription.

Positive control

Regulation of transcription where an activator protein enhances transcription.

cAMP

Cyclic AMP; a coactivator that binds to CAP to enhance transcription in the lac operon.

Inducible system

A system that is usually off but can be turned on in response to an inducer.

TRP Operon

A repressible operon that controls the biosynthesis of tryptophan in bacteria.

Hox genes

Genes that control the body plan of an embryo along the head-tail axis.

Heterotophy

The location of gene expression that can be variable based on evolutionary history.

Heterometry

The amount of gene expression which can result in differences in phenotype size.

Basal Transcription Apparatus

A complex of proteins required for the initiation of transcription in eukaryotes.

Acetylation

A pre-transcriptional modification that can enhance gene expression.

Methylation

A pre-transcriptional modification that often represses gene expression.