CH 11 - Gene Expression and Epigenetics

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering transcriptomics, globin chains, chromatin modifications, and protein expression based on the lecture notes.

Transcriptomics

Analyzing the mRNAs in individual cells under defined circumstances in an application of biotechnology.

Housekeeping Genes

Genes that continually keep cells running.

Transcriptome

The collection of mRNA molecules in a cell.

Single-Cell Transcriptomics

Identifying all of the mRNA molecules that an individual cell produces at a given time and circumstance.

Alveolar Type 2 (AT2) Cells

Cells that secrete soothing surfactant that bathes tiny air sacs where gas exchange occurs in a healthy lung.

Hemoglobin molecule

Consists of four polypeptide chains with two being $146$ amino acids long (beta) and the other two being $141$ amino acids long (alpha).

Globin Chain Switching

The process where different globin polypeptide chains are used to make molecules of hemoglobin as a human develops.

Globin Chain in Embryo

Hemoglobin consisting of two epsilon (beta) chains and two zeta (alpha) chains, manufactured first in the yolk sac.

Globin Chains in Fetus

Hemoglobin where epsilon and zeta globin polypeptide chains decrease as gamma and alpha chains accumulate; manufactured in the liver and spleen.

Pancreas

A dual gland with two types of cell clusters, exocrine and endocrine, which also secretes insulin.

Diabetes Mellitus

Absence of insulin or inability of cells to recognize it.

Diseasome

Connects diseases that share genes that have altered expression.

Proteomics

Cataloging all of the proteins a specific organelle or cell type makes under specific conditions.

Protein-Encoding Gene

Contains DNA sequences that control its expression and is controlled by the configuration of chromatin.

Chromatin Remodeling

Adding or removing chemical groups to or from histones, which can alter gene expression.

microRNAs

A $21$- or $22$-base-long small RNA that binds to certain mRNAs, blocking their translation into protein.

Microproteins

Tiny proteins that control the functioning of larger proteins by fitting into spaces and altering their folding and functions.

Molecules that Bind to Histones

Acetyl groups, methyl groups, and phosphate groups.

Acetyl Groups

Groups that control gene expression and bind to specific sites on certain histones, particularly to lysine.

Deacetylases

Enzymes that remove acetyl groups and shut off gene expression.

$2$ Percent

The amount of Chromatin that is open and easy to read.

Methyl Groups

Groups added or removed from histones, where a protein that prevents transcription is attracted by binding both histones and DNA.

Methylome

Collection of all methylated DNA sites on the genome.

Phosphates

Negatively charged molecules that bind to histones to open up chromatin structure and can be passed on when DNA is replicated without altering sequences.

Prenatal Malnutrition

Affects phenotype because starvation alters the pattern in which methyl groups bind to DNA and silence genes.

Control of microRNAs

Functions like a dimmer switch that fine-tunes gene expression at later stages.

Alternative Splicing

The generation of multiple transcripts consisting of different combinations of exons, expanding the information content of full mRNA.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs)

Produced by back-splicing an exon to a preceding exon to create a closed-loop structure that may lie behind some diseases.

Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA)

A protein on a certain cell surface in the prostate gland that liquefies semen; overproduction may indicate benign growth or cancer.

Dentinogenesis Imperfecta

An autosomal dominant condition causing discolored, misshapen teeth with peeling enamel due to one gene encoding more than one protein when cut in two.

An Intron on one DNA strand is an Exon on the Other

A genomic configuration seen in Neurofibromin and three other genes.

Glycoproteins and Lipoproteins

Cell surface molecules important in cell recognition formed by adding sugars or lipids, respectively.

Acetylase

Enzyme that adds specific acetyl groups to specific lysines on certain histones.