Chapter 16 The Molecular Basis of Inheritance

This set of flashcards covers key concepts, definitions, and vocabulary related to molecular biology and the structure and function of DNA, as discussed in the lecture.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

The molecule that carries hereditary information encoded in its structure.

Double helix

The twisted ladder shape of DNA, formed by two strands that are twisted around each other.

Transformation

The phenomenon where a change in genotype and phenotype occurs due to the assimilation of foreign DNA.

Bacteriophages

Viruses that infect bacteria and are used in molecular genetics research.

Chargaff’s rules

The observation that in any species, the amount of adenine (A) equals thymine (T), and the amount of guanine (G) equals cytosine (C).

Semiconservative model

The theory that when DNA replicates, each daughter molecule consists of one original strand and one new strand.

Okazaki fragments

Short segments of DNA synthesized discontinuously on the lagging strand during DNA replication.

Telomeres

Special nucleotide sequences at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes that protect DNA from erosion.

DNA polymerase

An enzyme that synthesizes new DNA strands by adding nucleotides to a growing chain.

Nucleosome

The basic unit of DNA packaging, consisting of a segment of DNA wound around a core of histone proteins.