Melanin Storyline: Lessons 1-2

chromosome

an organized package of DNA found in the nucleus of the cell which carries genetic information in the form of genes

sex chromosomes

chromosomes that determine the sex of an individual. (XX = female ; XY = male) Humans have one pair of sex chromosomes.

autosomes

any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome. Humans have 22 pairs of autosomes.

karyotype

a display of the chromosome pairs of a cell arranged by size and shape.

transcription

the process where the DNA sequence in a gene is copied into mRNA; occurs inside the nucleus

translation

the process by which mRNA is decoded and a protein is produced; done by a ribosome outside the nucleus

codon

three-nucleotide sequence on messenger RNA that codes for a single amino acid

indel mutation

a mutation in which one or more nucleotide pairs is added or deleted

substitution mutation

a single nucleotide is replaced by a different nucleotide

frameshift mutation

an indel causes a shift that changes every single codon/amino acid after it occurs

silent mutation

a mutation that changes a single nucleotide, but does not change the amino acid created.

missense mutation

a substitution mutation changes a single amino acid

nonsense mutation

a substitution or indel mutation changes a codon into a STOP codon which ends the protein early