Gene Regulation and Expression

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to gene regulation, expression, and the associated molecular biology techniques.

Gene

The DNA sequence between the promoter region and the transcription termination site.

Promoter

The region of DNA that initiates transcription of a gene.

Transcription termination site

The location in the DNA where transcription ends.

5'-UTR

The 5' untranslated region of a gene, located upstream of the coding sequence.

3'-UTR

The 3' untranslated region of a gene, located downstream of the coding sequence.

Exons

The coding regions of a gene that are expressed, or translated into protein.

Introns

Non-coding regions of a gene that are not translated into protein.

Stop codon

A sequence of nucleotides that signals the end of translation.

Start codon

A specific codon (AUG) that indicates the beginning of translation.

Thalassemia

A hereditary genetic blood disorder caused by abnormal levels of hemoglobin.

Northern Blotting

A technique used to detect specific RNA molecules by gel electrophoresis followed by membrane transfer and hybridization with a labeled probe.

Regulatory sequence

Regions of DNA that influence the transcription of a gene.

Mutation

A change in the DNA sequence that can affect gene expression.

Gene expression

The process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize functional gene products, usually proteins.

RNA degradation

The process of breaking down RNA molecules, affecting gene expression.

Frameshift mutation

A mutation that results from insertion or deletion of nucleotides, disrupting the reading frame.

Missense mutation

A mutation that changes one amino acid in a protein sequence.

Nonsense mutation

A mutation that introduces a premature stop codon into the protein coding sequence.