Chapter 1.3: Genetic Systems Control the Flow, Exchange, Storage, and Use of Information

Flashcards from Chapter 1.3 of Principles of Life, 3rd Edition.

Nucleotides

The four distinct subunits represented by A, T, C, and G that serve as the building blocks of DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

The fundamental hereditary material of all living organisms, stored primarily in the cell nucleus

Protein

Molecules that govern the chemical reactions within cells and form much of an organism’s structure

Gene

A unit of heredity, used as the unit of genetic function which carries the information for a polypeptide or RNA

Specialization

Cells taking on different functions; this occurs even with the same genome due to different expressions

Mutations

A change in the DNA of an organism; these are mostly harmful or have no effect but can sometimes improve the functioning of an organism

Genome

All the genetic makeup of an organism; these are studied in order to understand how a species or certain gene differs from another