Heredity and DNA Vocab (Unit #4)


Heredity and DNA Vocabulary (Unit #4)

1)       Nucleotide:  subunit of DNA that consists of a sugar, phosphate, and a base
2)      Recessive trait:  trait that reappears in the 2nd generation after disappearing in the first (shown with a lowercase letter)
3)      DNA: genetic material that is present in all living cells and contains information about traits
4)      Rosalind Franklin:  chemist who used X-ray diffraction to show DNA’s spiral shape
5)      Sex-linked disorder:  disorders that result from genes being carried on the X chromosome
6)      Gregor Mendel:  Austrian monk who used pea plants to show dominant and recessive traits
7)      Punnett Square:  diagram made of 4 squares that shows the possible offspring combinations for particular parents
8)      Sex chromosomes:  chromosomes that determine the sex of an individual (XX or XY)
9)      Mutation:  change in the nucleotide-base sequence of a gene or DNA molecule
10)   Genotype:  entire genetic makeup of an organism (such as Gg or rr)
11)   Deletion:  mutation where a base is left out
12)   Substitution:  mutation where the wrong base is used
13)   Heredity:  passing of traits from parents to offspring
14)   Selective breeding:  when organisms with desirable characteristics are mated
15)   Gene:  one set of instructions for an inherited trait
16)   Meiosis:  process of cell division which results in production of sex cells (sperm and egg)
17)   Dominant trait:  trait that is always present in the first generation (shown with capital letter)
18)   tRNA:  translates the DNA message
19)   Watson and Crick:  built a 3-D model to show that DNA must look like a long twisted ladder (double helix)
20)   Phenotype:  an organism’s physical appearance (hair color, eye color, etc)
21)   Insertion:  mutation where extra base is added in
22)   Walter Sutton:  graduate student who studied grasshoppers and discovered that genes are located on chromosomes
23)   mRNA:  mirror-like copy of a DNA segment made out of RNA
24)      Allele:  one of the alternative forms of a gene that governs a characteristic, such as hair color
25)  Base-pair rule:  rule which states that A pairs with T and G pairs with C
26)  DNA fingerprinting:  used to identify the unique patterns in a person’s DNA, usually to help solve crimes
27)   Pedigree:  tool for tracing a trait through generations of a family
28)   Probability:  likelihood that something will happen

       

No comments:

Post a Comment