Bio 3-1 - 3-6

1. What is Genetics?
Answer: The study of heredity; how organisms inherit traits from their parents.

2. What is the Genetic Code?
Answer: The molecular language that determines what cells and organisms become, contained in DNA or RNA.

3. What did the Chase/Hershey Experiment prove?
Answer: DNA contains the genetic codes of life. They showed that only radiated DNA, not protein, entered bacteria during infection.

4. What are the 3 parts of a nucleotide?
Answer:

  1. Phosphoric Acid

  2. Deoxyribose (Sugar)

  3. Nitrogen Base

5. What are the 4 nitrogen bases in DNA?
Answer:
A) Adenine (A)
B) Thymine (T)
C) Cytosine (C)
D) Guanine (G)

6. What is the base pairing rule in DNA?
Answer:
A pairs with T, and C pairs with G.

7. What is the shape of DNA called?
Answer: Double Helix (looks like a twisted ladder).

8. What is Chromatin?
Answer: Unorganized DNA stored in the nucleus while the cell performs its functions.

9. What are Histones?
Answer: Special proteins that help organize and compress DNA inside the nucleus.

10. What are Genes?
Answer: A section of DNA that codes for a protein and determines an organism's traits.

11. What are Alleles?
Answer: Different forms of a gene (e.g., brown, blue, or green eyes).

12. What is DNA Replication?
Answer: The process of making two identical copies of DNA from the original.

13. What enzyme is responsible for DNA replication?
Answer: DNA Polymerase.

14. What does "semi-conservative" mean in DNA replication?
Answer: Each new DNA molecule consists of one old strand and one new strand.

15. What are the 3 main functions of cell division?
Answer:

  1. Growth and Development

  2. Repair

  3. Reproduction

16. What is the difference between Diploid and Haploid cells?
Answer:

  • Diploid: Cells with a full set of chromosomes (e.g., somatic cells, created by mitosis).

  • Haploid: Cells with half a set of chromosomes (e.g., gametes, created by meiosis).

17. What are the two types of reproduction?
Answer:

  1. Asexual: One parent creates identical clones (mitosis).

  2. Sexual: Two parent cells combine to form genetically unique offspring (meiosis).

18. What are the steps of the Cell Cycle?
Answer:

  1. Interphase

  2. Prophase

  3. Metaphase

  4. Anaphase

  5. Telophase

  6. Cytokinesis

19. What happens in Prophase?
Answer: The nucleus dissolves, and chromatin organizes into chromosomes.

20. What happens in Metaphase?
Answer: Chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell.

21. What happens in Anaphase?
Answer: Chromosomes are pulled apart by spindle fibers.

22. What happens in Telophase?
Answer: Chromosomes turn back into chromatin, and new nuclei form.

23. What happens in Cytokinesis?
Answer: The cytoplasm divides, creating two daughter cells.

24. What is Mitosis?
Answer: The process of a cell dividing to create two identical daughter cells.

25. What are the steps of Meiosis?
Answer:

  1. Meiosis I:

  • Prophase I

  • Metaphase I

  • Anaphase I

  • Telophase I

  • Cytokinesis I

  1. Meiosis II:

  • Prophase II

  • Metaphase II

  • Anaphase II

  • Telophase II

  • Cytokinesis II

26. What is the result of Meiosis?
Answer: Four genetically unique haploid cells.

  • Men: 4 sperm cells

  • Women: 1 egg and 3 unused cells

27. What is Crossing Over?
Answer: A process during Prophase I of meiosis where genes are exchanged between chromosomes.

28. What is Segregation?
Answer: The random separation of chromosomes during Anaphase II in meiosis.

29. What is Protein Synthesis?
Answer: The process where DNA is used to create proteins.

30. What are the three types of RNA?
Answer:

  1. Messenger RNA (mRNA)

  2. Transfer RNA (tRNA)

  3. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

31. What is the role of mRNA?
Answer: Carries the genetic code from DNA to the ribosome for protein synthesis.

32. What is a Codon?
Answer: A set of 3 nucleotides on mRNA that codes for an amino acid.

33. What is the role of tRNA?
Answer: Delivers amino acids to the ribosome by matching anticodons with mRNA codons.

34. What is the role of rRNA?
Answer: Part of ribosomes; helps bind codons to anticodons and amino acids into proteins.

35. What are the two stages of Protein Synthesis?
Answer:

  1. Transcription: DNA is copied into mRNA.

  2. Translation: mRNA is used to build proteins.

36. What happens during Transcription?
Answer: mRNA is created by RNA polymerase and exits the nucleus.

37. What happens during Translation?
Answer: Ribosomes use mRNA to link amino acids together into a protein.

38. What are Introns and Exons?
Answer:

  • Introns: Unused parts of mRNA that are removed.

  • Exons: Expressed parts of mRNA that are kept.

39. What is Genetic Engineering?
Answer: The process of altering the genetic code of organisms using recombinant DNA.

40. What is Recombinant DNA?
Answer: DNA from two different sources combined to create a new organism.

41. What is Cloning?
Answer: Creating an identical organism or cell.

42. What are Stem Cells?
Answer: Undifferentiated cells that can become almost any type of body cell.

43. What is Inheritance?
Answer: The passing of traits from parent to offspring.

44. What are Alleles?
Answer: Different forms of a gene (e.g., dominant or recessive).

45. What are the 3 types of allele combinations?
Answer:

  1. Homozygous Dominant (e.g., TT)

  2. Homozygous Recessive (e.g., tt)

  3. Heterozygous (e.g., Tt)

46. What is the Law of Dominance?
Answer: Some alleles are dominant and will show up in the organism’s phenotype.

47. What is the Law of Segregation?
Answer: Alleles are separated during gamete formation, leading to genetic variation.

48. What is the Law of Independent Assortment?
Answer: Genes for different traits are inherited independently of each other.

49. What is Incomplete Dominance?
Answer: When both alleles blend to form a new intermediate trait.

50. What is Codominance?
Answer: When both alleles are expressed equally but in separate spots (e.g., speckled pattern).

51. What are Mutations?
Answer: Permanent changes in DNA sequence that may lead to different traits.

52. What are the two types of mutations?
Answer:

  1. Insertion: Extra nucleotides are added.

  2. Deletion: Nucleotides are removed.

53. What is a Karyotype?
Answer: A chart showing an organism's chromosomes.

54. How many chromosomes do humans have?
Answer: 46 total (23 from each parent).

55. What are Autosomes?
Answer: Non-sex chromosomes (44 total).

56. What are Sex Chromosomes?
Answer: Chromosomes that determine gender (2 total, X and Y).

57. What are Autosomal Dominant Disorders?
Answer: Disorders caused by dominant alleles on autosomes (e.g., Dwarfism, Huntington's Disease).

58. What are Autosomal Recessive Disorders?
Answer: Disorders caused by recessive alleles on autosomes (e.g., Albinism, Cystic Fibrosis).

59. What are X-linked Disorders?
Answer: Disorders

Flashcard 60
Q: What is base pairing in DNA?
A: Base pairing refers to the rule that in DNA, Adenine (A) bonds with Thymine (T), and Cytosine (C) bonds with Guanine (G).

Flashcard 61
Q: What does semi-conservative replication mean in DNA replication?
A: Semi-conservative replication means that each new DNA molecule consists of one original strand and one newly synthesized strand.

Flashcard 62
Q: What is the role of DNA Polymerase?
A: DNA Polymerase is an enzyme that adds nucleotides to the parent strand and creates new DNA strands during replication.

Flashcard 63
Q: What are histones?
A: Histones are proteins that help wind DNA into tight coils, making the DNA much smaller and compact in the nucleus.

Flashcard 64
Q: How does mitosis differ from meiosis?
A: Mitosis is the process of a cell dividing to create two identical diploid cells, whereas meiosis divides a cell twice to create four genetically unique haploid cells.

Flashcard 65
Q: What is the key difference between haploid and diploid cells?
A: Haploid cells have half the number of chromosomes (1 set), while diploid cells have a full set of chromosomes (2 sets).

Flashcard 66
Q: What happens in Anaphase 1 of meiosis?
A: In Anaphase 1, homologous chromosomes are pulled apart to opposite sides of the cell.

Flashcard 67
Q: What is crossing over?
A: Crossing over is the exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during Prophase 1 of meiosis, contributing to genetic diversity.

Flashcard 68
Q: What does segregation mean in meiosis?
A: Segregation refers to the random separation of chromosome pairs during Anaphase 2, ensuring that each gamete gets one allele from each gene pair.

Flashcard 69
Q: What is the function of mRNA?
A: mRNA carries the genetic code from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm for protein synthesis.

Flashcard 70
Q: What is transcription in protein synthesis?
A: Transcription is the process where an RNA polymerase enzyme creates a messenger RNA (mRNA) strand that is complementary to a DNA template strand.

Flashcard 71
Q: What are introns and exons in mRNA processing?
A: Introns are non-coding regions of mRNA that are removed, while exons are coding regions that are spliced together to form the final mRNA.

Flashcard 72
Q: What happens in translation during protein synthesis?
A: Translation is the process where ribosomes read the mRNA codons and use tRNA to assemble amino acids into a polypeptide chain, forming a protein.

Flashcard 73
Q: What is the start codon in mRNA?
A: The start codon is "AUG," which signals the beginning of protein synthesis and codes for the amino acid methionine.

Flashcard 74
Q: What is the role of tRNA?
A: tRNA carries amino acids to the ribosome and matches its anticodon with the codon on the mRNA to ensure the correct amino acid is added to the protein chain.

Flashcard 75
Q: What is ribosomal RNA (rRNA)?
A: rRNA is the type of RNA that is a structural component of ribosomes, where protein synthesis occurs.

Flashcard 76
Q: What are genetically modified (GM) foods?
A: GM foods are organisms, usually plants or animals, created using genetic engineering to have desired traits, such as disease resistance or increased productivity.

Flashcard 77
Q: What is recombinant DNA?
A: Recombinant DNA is DNA that has been altered by combining genetic material from different organisms, often used in genetic engineering to create transgenic organisms.

Flashcard 78
Q: How does genetic engineering create transgenic organisms?
A: Genetic engineering uses recombinant DNA to insert genes from one organism into another, resulting in a transgenic organism with traits from both species.

Flashcard 79
Q: What is cloning?
A: Cloning is the process of creating an organism or cell that is genetically identical to the original, often used for preserving species or reproducing superior organisms.

Flashcard 80
Q: What are stem cells used for in biotechnology?
A: Stem cells are undeveloped cells that can be specialized into different types of cells and used for repairing damaged tissues or curing diseases like cancer or paralysis.

Flashcard 81
Q: What does Mendel's Law of Dominance state?
A: It states that some alleles are dominant over others. The dominant allele will mask the expression of the recessive allele in a heterozygous individual.

Flashcard 82
Q: What is Mendel's Law of Segregation?
A: It states that alleles separate during gamete formation, so each gamete carries only one allele for each trait.

Flashcard 83
Q: What is Mendel's Law of Independent Assortment?
A: It states that genes for different traits are inherited independently of each other, unless they are located on the same chromosome.

Flashcard 84
Q: What is incomplete dominance?
A: Incomplete dominance occurs when both alleles are equally dominant, resulting in a blended phenotype, such as red and white flowers producing pink offspring.

Flashcard 85
Q: What is codominance?
A: Codominance occurs when both alleles are fully expressed, resulting in a phenotype where both traits appear together, such as speckled or striped patterns.

Flashcard 86
Q: What is the function of autosomes?
A: Autosomes are chromosomes that carry genes determining traits other than sex (44 in humans).

Flashcard 87
Q: What are sex chromosomes?
A: Sex chromosomes are the chromosomes that determine an organism’s sex. In humans, females have XX and males have XY.

Flashcard 88
Q: How do mutations occur?
A: Mutations occur when there is a permanent change in the DNA sequence, such as incorrect base pairing or changes in the chromosome structure.

Flashcard 89
Q: What are insertion mutations?
A: Insertion mutations occur when one or more nucleotides are added to the DNA sequence, potentially shifting the reading frame.

Flashcard 90
Q: What are deletion mutations?
A: Deletion mutations happen when one or more nucleotides are removed from the DNA sequence, which can alter protein synthesis.

Flashcard 91
Q: What is a point mutation?
A: A point mutation is a change in a single nucleotide in the DNA sequence, which can be a substitution, insertion, or deletion.

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Q: What is the difference between dominant and recessive alleles?
A: Dominant alleles are expressed in both homozygous and heterozygous forms, while recessive alleles are only expressed in homozygous form.

Flashcard 93
Q: What is a karyotype?
A: A karyotype is a chart showing an organism's chromosomes, often used to identify genetic disorders.

Flashcard 94
Q: What are examples of autosomal dominant disorders?
A: Examples include Dwarfism (Dd or DD) and Huntington's Disease (Hh or HH).

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Q: What are examples of autosomal recessive disorders?
A: Examples include Albinism (aa) and Cystic Fibrosis (ff).

Flashcard 96
Q: What is an example of an X-linked disorder?
A: Examples include Color Blindness and Hemophilia, which are more common in males because they have only one X chromosome.