Genomes and Their Evolution

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to genomes, their sequencing, and evolutionary biology.

Genome

The complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism.

Human Genome Project

An international scientific research project aimed at mapping and understanding all the genes of the human species.

Sequencing Techniques

Methods used to determine the order of nucleotides in DNA, allowing scientists to read genetic information.

Bioinformatics

The application of computer technology to the management of biological information, particularly in the field of genomics.

Whole-genome shotgun approach

A method for sequencing an entire genome by breaking it into small fragments and sequencing those fragments.

Proteomics

The large-scale study of proteins, particularly their functions and structures.

Transposable elements

DNA sequences that can change their position within the genome, potentially leading to mutations and rearrangements.

Polyploidy

A condition in which a cell or organism has more than two complete sets of chromosomes.

Short tandem repeat (STR)

A type of DNA sequence that consists of repeated units of 2 to 5 nucleotides, which can vary in number among individuals.

Homeobox genes

A group of genes that control the body plan of an embryo along the head-tail axis.

Gene Regulatory Sequences

Regions of DNA that control the expression of genes, influencing when and how much a gene is expressed.

Noncoding DNA

Portions of DNA that do not code for proteins, often involved in regulation and structural functions.

Evolutionary developmental biology (evo-devo)

A field of study that compares the developmental processes of different multicellular organisms to understand evolutionary relationships.

Reference genome

A digital nucleic acid sequence database, created by researchers, that serves as a representative genome for a species.

Gene density

The number of genes present per base pair in a genome, which can vary widely among different organisms.

Intervening sequences (Introns)

Non-coding sections of a gene that are removed during RNA processing before translation.