Bio Exams
Lipids: Organic compounds that are insoluble in water, including fats, oils, and waxes.
Cholesterol: A type of lipid essential for the formation of cell membranes and certain hormones.
Receptor: A protein molecule on the cell surface or within a cell that binds to specific molecules, initiating a cellular response.
Homeostasis: The maintenance of stable internal conditions within an organism despite external changes.
Protein: Large biomolecules consisting of amino acids that perform various functions in cells.
Amino Acid: The building blocks of proteins, consisting of an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a side chain.
Chromosomes: Thread-like structures made of DNA and proteins that carry genetic information.
Genes: Units of heredity that are passed from parent to offspring and determine traits.
Alleles: Different forms of a gene that can occupy a specific locus on a chromosome.
Coding Gene Sequence: The sequence of DNA that encodes instructions for making a specific protein.
Regulatory Gene Sequence: DNA sequences that control gene expression and activity.
Nucleotides: The building blocks of DNA and RNA, consisting of a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.
DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid, a molecule that carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth, and reproduction of all known organisms.
RNA: Ribonucleic acid, a molecule that plays a crucial role in translating genetic information from DNA into proteins. It includes messenger RNA (mRNA) and transfer RNA (tRNA).
Mutation: A change in the DNA sequence that can affect genetic information.
Transcription: The process of making an RNA copy of a segment of DNA.
Translation: The process of synthesizing proteins from mRNA.
Codon: A sequence of three nucleotides that specifies a particular amino acid or signals the end of translation.
Anticodon: A sequence of three nucleotides in tRNA that is complementary to a codon in mRNA.
Genetic Code: The set of rules by which information encoded in genetic material is translated into proteins by living cells.
Genetics and Heredity
Autosomal Chromosomes: Chromosomes that are not sex chromosomes.
Crossing-Over: The exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during meiosis.
Diploid: Cells containing two sets of chromosomes (one from each parent).
Gametes: Haploid cells (sperm and egg) that fuse during fertilization to form a zygote.
Haploid: Cells containing a single set of chromosomes.
Homologous Chromosomes: Chromosome pairs that are similar in length, gene position, and centromere location.
Meiosis: Cell division process that produces gametes, with chromosome number reduced by half.
Sex Chromosomes: Chromosomes that determine an individual's sex.
Sister Chromatids: Two identical copies of a chromosome connected by a centromere.
Somatic Cells: Any cell of a living organism other than reproductive cells.
Zygote: The cell formed by the fusion of two gametes (fertilization).
Allele: One of two or more alternative forms of a gene that arise by mutation and are found at the same place on a chromosome.
Dihybrid: A genetic cross between two different lines (varieties, strains) that differ in two observed traits.
Dominant: An allele that masks the presence of a recessive allele.
Gene: A unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
Genotype: The genetic constitution of an individual organism.
Heterozygous: An organism having two different alleles of a particular gene or genes.
Homozygous: An individual having two identical alleles of a particular gene or genes.
Monohybrid: A hybrid that is heterozygous with respect to a specified gene.
Multiple alleles: Three or more alternative forms of a gene (alleles) that can occupy the same locus.
Genetics and Family History
Pedigree Chart: A diagram that shows the occurrence and appearance or phenotypes of a particular gene or organism and its ancestors from one generation to the next in a given family.
Phenotype: The set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of its genotype with the environment.
Polygenic inheritance: The determination of a particular characteristic or group of characteristics by the combined effect of many genes.
Punnett squares: A diagram that is used to predict an outcome of a particular cross or breeding experiment.
Cell Cycle: The series of events that take place in a cell leading to its division and duplication (replication) that produces two daughter cells.
Mitosis: A type of cell division that results in two daughter cells each having the same number and kind of chromosomes as the parent nucleus.
Prophase: The first stage of mitosis and meiosis in cell division.
Metaphase: The stage of mitosis and meiosis in cell division in which the chromosomes become aligned along the metaphase plate.
Anaphase: The stage of mitosis and meiosis during which the chromosomes separate and move to opposite ends of the cell.
Cytokinesis: The process during cell division in which the cytoplasm divides.
Growth Factors: Substances required for cell growth and survival.
Oncogene: A gene that in certain circumstances can transform a cell into a tumor cell.
Tumor Suppressor: A gene whose function is to suppress the development of cancer.