bio B unit 1 vocab

Base pairing

Principle that bonds in DNA can form only between adenine and thymine and between guanine and cytosine

Replication

Process of copying DNA prior to cell division

DNA polymerase

Principal enzyme involved in DNA replication

Metaphase

Phase of mitosis in which the chromosomes line up across the center of the cell

Cell division

Process by which a cell divides into two daughter cells

Asexual reproduction

Process of reproduction involving a single parent that results in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent

Sexual reproduction

Type of reproduction involving which cells from two parents unite to form the first cell of a new organism

Chromosome

Threadlike structure of DNA and protein that contains genetic information; in eukaryotes, chromosomes are found in the nucleus; in prokaryotes, they are found in the cytoplasm

Anaphase

Phase of mitosis in which the chromosomes separate and move to opposite ends of the cell

Cell cycle

Series of events in which a cell grows, prepares for division, and divides to form two daughter cells

Interphase

Period of the cell cycle between cell divisions

Mitosis

Part of eukaryotic cell division during which the cell nucleus divides

Cytokinesis

Division of the cytoplasm to form two separate daughter cells

Chromatid

One of two identical “sister” parts of a duplicated chromosome

Centromere

Region of a chromosome in which the two sister chromatids attach

Centriole

Structure in an animal cell that helps to organize cell division

Cyclin

One of a family of proteins that regulates the cell cycle in eukaryotic cells

Cancer

Disorder in which some of the body’s cells lose the ability to control growth

Prophase

First and longest phase of mitosis in which the genetic material inside the nucleus condenses and the chromosomes become visible

Telophase

Phase of mitosis in which the distinct individual chromosomes begin to spread out into a tangle of chromatin