Cell Biology and Genetics Problem Set Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering cellular organization, genetics, evolutionary rates, and biochemical processes from the provided problem set.

Human Hemoglobin Gene Family

A gene family consisting of seven genes arranged in two clusters on different chromosomes.

Susceptibility to Mutation

A measurement of the average change in amino acid properties caused by random mutations in a genetic code.

Phototrophs

Organisms that feed on sunlight.

Lithotrophs

Organisms that feed on rocks or inorganic chemical mixtures.

Hydrothermal Vent Chemicals

Inorganic compounds spewed from hydrothermal vents, including $H_2S$, $H_2$, $CO$, $Mn^+$, $Fe^{2+}$, $Ni^{2+}$, $CH_4$, and $NH_4^+$.

Ribosomal RNA Genes

Genes that are highly conserved with relatively few sequence changes across all organisms on Earth, having evolved very slowly over time.

Informational Processes

Cellular processes such as replication, transcription, and translation that involve large aggregates of different gene products and undergo horizontal gene transfer relatively infrequently.

Metabolic Reactions

Cellular reactions usually catalyzed by enzymes composed of a single protein, which undergo horizontal gene transfer between species more frequently than informational processes.

Giardia lamblia

A eukaryotic parasite that possesses a nucleus but lacks mitochondria, an endoplasmic reticulum, and a Golgi apparatus.

Plant Hemoglobin Genes

Oxygen-binding protein genes found in plants such as legumes, whose evolutionary origins are analyzed using phylogenetic trees.