Chromosomal Mutations and DNA Recombination

These flashcards cover key concepts regarding chromosomal mutations and DNA recombination, including definitions of critical terms and concepts discussed in the lecture notes.

Prokaryotic Chromosome

The structure of DNA in prokaryotes, located in the nucleoid region.

Eukaryotic Chromosome

Chromosomes in eukaryotic cells, contained within a nuclear envelope.

Homologous Chromosomes

Chromosome pairs that have the same length and centromere position, excluding sex chromosomes.

Centromere

The constricted region of a chromosome where kinetochores form and spindle microtubules attach.

Telomeres

The stable ends of chromosomes that protect them from degradation.

Karyotype

The number and appearance of chromosomes in the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell.

Chromatin

The material of which the chromosomes of organisms are composed, consisting of DNA and proteins.

Nucleosome

The fundamental unit of chromatin, consisting of a segment of DNA wound around a core of histone proteins.

Meiosis

A type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half and produces gametes.

Chromosome Mutation

Any alteration in the normal structure or number of chromosomes.

Duplication

A chromosome mutation where a segment of the chromosome is duplicated.

Deletion

A chromosome mutation where a segment of the chromosome is removed.

Inversion

A chromosome mutation where a segment of the chromosome is reversed end to end.

Translocation

A chromosome mutation involving the movement of a segment from one chromosome to another non-homologous chromosome.

Aneuploidy

An abnormal number of chromosomes that results from nondisjunction during cell division.

Polyploidy

A condition in which an organism has extra sets of chromosomes.

Gene Dosage

The effect of the number of copies of a gene on the expression of that gene.