Homeotic Genes and Genetic Mutations

This set of flashcards covers key concepts related to homeotic genes, genetic mutations, and associated terminology relevant to developmental biology and genetics.

Homeotic genes

Genes that regulate the development of anatomical structures in various organisms.

Segmentation gene

Genes that determine the division of the body into segments during embryonic development.

Hox genes

A subset of homeotic genes that establish the identity of body segments in animals.

Aneuploidy

The presence of an abnormal number of chromosomes in a cell.

cDNA library

A collection of complementary DNA (cDNA) sequences, representing mRNA transcripts.

CRISPR-Cas9

A genome editing tool used to make precise alterations to an organism's DNA.

Euploidy

The condition of having a multiple of the standard set of chromosomes.

Frameshift mutation

A mutation caused by insertion or deletion of nucleotides that alters the reading frame.

Gene knockout

A genetic technique in which one of an organism's genes is made inoperative.

Gene knockin

A genetic manipulation technique where a new gene is inserted into a genome.

Glycosylase

An enzyme that removes damaged bases from DNA.

Silent mutation

A mutation that does not change the amino acid sequence of a protein.

Induced mutation

Mutations that are caused by external factors, such as chemicals or radiation.

Spontaneous mutation

Mutations that occur naturally without external influence.

Haploinsufficient

A condition where a single copy of a gene is not sufficient to produce a normal phenotype.

Nondisjunction

The failure of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids to separate properly during cell division.

Pseudodominance

Expression of a normally recessive allele due to deletion of the dominant allele.

Semisterility

A condition in which an organism produces a reduced number of viable offspring.

Endonuclease

An enzyme that cleaves the phosphodiester bond within a nucleic acid strand.

Exonuclease

An enzyme that removes nucleotide bases from the ends of DNA.

Tautomerization

A chemical reaction in which a compound changes into another compound with different connectivity.

Trans-lesion polymerase

A specialized DNA polymerase that synthesizes DNA over a damaged template strand.

Transgenic

An organism that has been genetically modified to contain a gene from another species.

Transposase

An enzyme that catalyzes the movement of transposons within the genome.

Crosslinking agent

A chemical that can create covalent bonds between DNA strands, affecting DNA structure.

Missense mutation

A mutation that results in a different amino acid being incorporated into a protein.

Nonsense mutation

A mutation that creates a premature stop codon in the coding sequence of a gene.