Transposition and Site-Specific Recombination

These flashcards cover key terminology and concepts related to transposition, site-specific recombination, and transcription processes in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Transposition

A process by which mobile genetic elements, called transposons, move within the genome.

Mobile Genetic Elements

Genetic sequences that can change their position within the genome and are typically 100's to 10,000's base pairs long.

Transposase

An enzyme that cuts out a transposon from one location in DNA and facilitates its insertion at another location.

Retroviral-like Retrotransposons

Transposons that resemble retroviruses in that they contain genes for proteins such as integrase and reverse transcriptase, but lack protein coats.

Reverse Transcriptase (RT)

An enzyme that synthesizes new double-stranded DNA from an RNA template.

Integrase

An enzyme that catalyzes the insertion of newly synthesized DNA into the host genome.

Homologous Recombination

A process of genetic recombination that results in the exchange of genetic information between similar or identical DNA sequences.

Transcription

The process by which a region of DNA is copied into RNA.

CRISPR

A system that helps bacteria and archaea to protect themselves from viral infection, using crRNA as a form of immune recognition.

Prokaryotic Transcription Steps

The three main stages: initiation, elongation, and termination.

Sigma Factor

A protein that binds to RNA polymerase and promotes its binding to specific promoters in prokaryotic transcription.

Eukaryotic RNA Polymerases

Three different types of RNA polymerases (POL I, POL II, POL III) responsible for synthesizing different types of RNA.

General Transcription Factors (TFs)

Proteins that assemble onto the DNA double helix and RNA polymerase to initiate eukaryotic transcription.