BIOL211 Practice Questions Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards based on BIOL211 practice questions covering cell division, genetics, and chromosomal inheritance.

Interphase

The part of the cell cycle that includes the subphases $G1$, $S$, and $G2$.

Haploid

A term describing an organism or cell that contains a single set of chromosomes.

Cell Division Signals

Stimuli received by cells to initiate division, which can be chemical or mechanical.

Dioecious

A type of sexual assignment in plants that most closely resembles the assignment of sexual characteristics in most animals, such as dogs, humans, and bears.

Autosomal chromosomes

The majority of human chromosomes which determine physical traits and biological functions.

Nerve Cells

Cells found in the spine that cannot divide, making spinal damage more detrimental than damage to areas where cells are capable of division.

Monoecious plant

A plant that produces separate flowers that can individually have either male or female reproductive organs.

Somatic Cancer Cells

Cells characterized by a lack of functional cell cycle checkpoint mechanisms, density-dependent inhibition, and anchorage dependence.

Kinetochores

Structures that function during metaphase to attach sister chromatids to mitotic spindle microtubules.

Cytokinesis

The process that splits a cell into $2$ at the middle pinched point following telophase.

Apoptosis

A process of programmed cell death performed when a cell fails a checkpoint and cannot fix the error, or when experiencing density-dependent inhibition.

Cleavage furrow

The structure formed in animal cells during cytokinesis when the membrane is pinched by cytoskeletal filaments.

Cell plate

The structure that forms between daughter cells during cytokinesis in plants.

Random fertilization

A process that occurs during zygote formation.

Centromere

The part of a chromosome that functions to attach sister chromatids together.

Gametes

Human reproductive cells that contain half as many chromosomes as somatic cells.

Exons

DNA segments that are protein coding.

Introns

DNA segments that are non protein coding.

MPF

The promotion factor for $M$ phase that moves the cell from $G2$ into $M$ phase.

Homologous chromosomes

Matching pairs of chromosomes in diploid organisms that are similar in size, shape, and gene sequence but contain different alleles.

Alleles

Different versions of genes that code for different genetic traits.

Red blood cells

Cells that do not contain nuclei and therefore contain little to no DNA, making them less useful for genetic sequencing than white blood cells.

Diploid ($2n$)

A state where somatic cells contain $2$ matching sets of chromosomes, represented by $2n$, indicating one set ($n$) is obtained from each parent.

Down syndrome

A genetic condition that occurs as a result of having an extra chromosome $21$.

Mitosis (Order)

The correct sequence of stages consisting of Prophase $\rightarrow$ Prometaphase $\rightarrow$ Metaphase $\rightarrow$ Anaphase $\rightarrow$ Telophase.

Chromatin

A complex mixture of DNA and proteins in the eukaryotic nucleus that condenses into visible chromosomes during prophase.

Tetrads

Structures formed during prophase $1$ of meiosis where homologous chromosome pairs exchange genetic material through crossing over.

S phase

The subphase of interphase where DNA is synthesized, resulting in a larger amount of DNA in the nucleus at $G2$ compared to $G1$.