Genome Structure, Replication and Expression

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to genome structure, replication, expression, and microbial ecology.

Central Dogma

The process by which the information in genes flows into proteins; includes transcription and translation.

Prokaryotic vs Eukaryotic Genomic DNA

Prokaryotic DNA is circular and lacks introns, while eukaryotic DNA is linear, contains introns, and requires processing of pre-mRNA.

DNA Replication

A process wherein DNA is copied, involving key enzymes like helicase, DNA polymerase, and ligase.

Leading Strand

The strand of DNA that is synthesized continuously in the 5' to 3' direction during replication.

Lagging Strand

The strand of DNA that is synthesized discontinuously in short sections called Okazaki fragments.

Okazaki Fragments

Short, newly synthesized DNA fragments that are formed on the lagging strand during DNA replication.

Transcription

The process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template, involving RNA polymerase.

Translation

The synthesis of proteins from mRNA templates, involving ribosomes, tRNA, and amino acids.

Operon

A cluster of genes under the control of a single promoter, typically found in prokaryotes.

Inducible Control

A form of gene regulation wherein genes are activated in the presence of an inducer molecule.

Repressible Control

A type of gene regulation where gene expression is inhibited in the presence of a corepressor.

Horizontal Gene Transfer

The transfer of genetic material between organisms in a manner other than traditional reproduction, including transformation, transduction, and conjugation.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence that can impact an organism's traits and functions.

Spontaneous Mutation

Mutations that occur naturally without external intervention, often during DNA replication.

Induced Mutation

Mutations that result from exposure to external agents (mutagens) that cause alterations in DNA.

Proofreading

A mechanism during DNA replication that corrects base-pairing errors made by DNA polymerase.

Nucleotide Excision Repair

A DNA repair mechanism that removes distorted sections of DNA, such as those caused by thymine dimers.

Quorum Sensing

The ability of bacteria to sense the density of their population and regulate gene expression accordingly.

Chemotaxis

The movement of an organism in response to chemical stimuli, either toward or away from the stimulus.

Transduction

The process by which bacteriophages transfer bacterial DNA from one cell to another.

Conjugation

The transfer of DNA between bacteria through direct cell-to-cell contact, often involving a sex pilus.

Bioinformatics

The application of computational tools to analyze biological data, especially in genomics and proteomics.

Genome Annotation

The process of identifying and marking the functional elements of a genome.

Microbial Ecology

The study of the interactions of microorganisms with each other and their environment.

Mutualism

A type of symbiotic relationship where both species benefit.

Antagonism

An interaction between organisms in which one species harms another.

Ecosystem Stability

The ability of an ecosystem to maintain balanced conditions, often influenced by microbial activity.

Rhizobia

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria that form symbiotic relationships with leguminous plants.

Central Dogma

The process by which the information in genes flows into proteins; includes transcription and translation.

Prokaryotic vs Eukaryotic Genomic DNA

Prokaryotic DNA is circular and lacks introns, while eukaryotic DNA is linear, contains introns, and requires processing of pre-mRNA.

DNA Replication

A process wherein DNA is copied, involving key enzymes like helicase, DNA polymerase, and ligase.

Leading Strand

The strand of DNA that is synthesized continuously in the 5' to 3' direction during replication.

Lagging Strand

The strand of DNA that is synthesized discontinuously in short sections called Okazaki fragments.

Okazaki Fragments

Short, newly synthesized DNA fragments that are formed on the lagging strand during DNA replication.

Transcription

The process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template, involving RNA polymerase.

Translation

The synthesis of proteins from mRNA templates, involving ribosomes, tRNA, and amino acids.

Operon

A cluster of genes under the control of a single promoter, typically found in prokaryotes.

Inducible Control

A form of gene regulation wherein genes are activated in the presence of an inducer molecule.

Repressible Control

A type of gene regulation where gene expression is inhibited in the presence of a corepressor.

Horizontal Gene Transfer

The transfer of genetic material between organisms in a manner other than traditional reproduction, including transformation, transduction, and conjugation.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence that can impact an organism's traits and functions.

Spontaneous Mutation

Mutations that occur naturally without external intervention, often during DNA replication.

Induced Mutation

Mutations that result from exposure to external agents (mutagens) that cause alterations in DNA.

Proofreading

A mechanism during DNA replication that corrects base-pairing errors made by DNA polymerase.

Nucleotide Excision Repair

A DNA repair mechanism that removes distorted sections of DNA, such as those caused by thymine dimers.

Quorum Sensing

The ability of bacteria to sense the density of their population and regulate gene expression accordingly.

Chemotaxis

The movement of an organism in response to chemical stimuli, either toward or away from the stimulus.

Transduction

The process by which bacteriophages transfer bacterial DNA from one cell to another.

Conjugation

The transfer of DNA between bacteria through direct cell-to-cell contact, often involving a sex pilus.

Bioinformatics

The application of computational tools to analyze biological data, especially in genomics and proteomics.

Genome Annotation

The process of identifying and marking the functional elements of a genome.

Microbial Ecology

The study of the interactions of microorganisms with each other and their environment.

Mutualism

A type of symbiotic relationship where both species benefit.

Antagonism

An interaction between organisms in which one species harms another.

Ecosystem Stability

The ability of an ecosystem to maintain balanced conditions, often influenced by microbial activity.

Rhizobia

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria that form symbiotic relationships with leguminous plants.

Helicase

An enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix during DNA replication.

DNA Polymerase

An enzyme that synthesizes new DNA strands by adding nucleotides during replication and also performs proofreading.

DNA Ligase

An enzyme that joins DNA fragments, such as Okazaki fragments, by forming phosphodiester bonds.

Ribosome

A complex molecular machine that synthesizes proteins by translating mRNA into amino acid sequences.

Codon

A sequence of three nucleotides on an mRNA molecule that corresponds to a specific amino acid or a stop signal during protein synthesis.

Anticodon

A sequence of three nucleotides on a tRNA molecule that is complementary to a codon on an mRNA molecule.

Transformation

The uptake of naked DNA from the environment by a bacterial cell.

Central Dogma

The process by which the information in genes flows into proteins; includes transcription and translation.

Prokaryotic vs Eukaryotic Genomic DNA

Prokaryotic DNA is circular and lacks introns, while eukaryotic DNA is linear, contains introns, and requires processing of pre-mRNA.

DNA Replication

A process wherein DNA is copied, involving key enzymes like helicase, DNA polymerase, and ligase.

Leading Strand

The strand of DNA that is synthesized continuously in the 5' to 3' direction during replication.

Lagging Strand

The strand of DNA that is synthesized discontinuously in short sections called Okazaki fragments.

Okazaki Fragments

Short, newly synthesized DNA fragments that are formed on the lagging strand during DNA replication.

Transcription

The process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template, involving RNA polymerase.

Translation

The synthesis of proteins from mRNA templates, involving ribosomes, tRNA, and amino acids.

Operon

A cluster of genes under the control of a single promoter, typically found in prokaryotes.

Inducible Control

A form of gene regulation wherein genes are activated in the presence of an inducer molecule.

Repressible Control

A type of gene regulation where gene expression is inhibited in the presence of a corepressor.

Horizontal Gene Transfer

The transfer of genetic material between organisms in a manner other than traditional reproduction, including transformation, transduction, and conjugation.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence that can impact an organism's traits and functions.

Spontaneous Mutation

Mutations that occur naturally without external intervention, often during DNA replication.

Induced Mutation

Mutations that result from exposure to external agents (mutagens) that cause alterations in DNA.

Proofreading

A mechanism during DNA replication that corrects base-pairing errors made by DNA polymerase.

Nucleotide Excision Repair

A DNA repair mechanism that removes distorted sections of DNA, such as those caused by thymine dimers.

Quorum Sensing

The ability of bacteria to sense the density of their population and regulate gene expression accordingly.

Chemotaxis

The movement of an organism in response to chemical stimuli, either toward or away from the stimulus.

Transduction

The process by which bacteriophages transfer bacterial DNA from one cell to another.

Conjugation

The transfer of DNA between bacteria through direct cell-to-cell contact, often involving a sex pilus.

Bioinformatics

The application of computational tools to analyze biological data, especially in genomics and proteomics.

Genome Annotation

The process of identifying and marking the functional elements of a genome.

Microbial Ecology

The study of the interactions of microorganisms with each other and their environment.

Mutualism

A type of symbiotic relationship where both species benefit.

Antagonism

An interaction between organisms in which one species harms another.

Ecosystem Stability

The ability of an ecosystem to maintain balanced conditions, often influenced by microbial activity.

Rhizobia

Nitrogen-fixing bacteria that form symbiotic relationships with leguminous plants.

Helicase

An enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix during DNA replication.

DNA Polymerase

An enzyme that synthesizes new DNA strands by adding nucleotides during replication and also performs proofreading.

DNA Ligase

An enzyme that joins DNA fragments, such as Okazaki fragments, by forming phosphodiester bonds.

Ribosome

A complex molecular machine that synthesizes proteins by translating mRNA into amino acid sequences.

Codon

A sequence of three nucleotides on an mRNA molecule that corresponds to a specific amino acid or a stop signal during protein synthesis.

Anticodon

A sequence of three nucleotides on a tRNA molecule that is complementary to a codon on an mRNA molecule.

Transformation

The uptake of naked DNA from the environment by a bacterial cell.

Bacterial Transcription Process

In bacteria, transcription involves three main stages: 1. Initiation: RNA polymerase binds to the promoter sequence on the DNA with the help of a sigma (\sigma) factor, forming the initiation complex. This unwinds a small section of DNA. 2. Elongation: RNA polymerase synthesizes an RNA strand complementary to the template DNA strand, adding ribonucleotides in the 5' to 3' direction. 3. Termination: Specific sequences (e.g., rho-independent or rho-dependent) signal the RNA polymerase to stop, leading to the release of the RNA transcript and the dissociation of the polymerase from the DNA.

Central Dogma

The process by which the information in genes flows into proteins; includes transcription and translation.