Title: Unit 3 Key Terms
Course: SAT 170 Introductory Biotechnology > Section: SAT 170 Introductory Biotechnology

Unit 3 Key Terms

Terms

Term | Definitions
Apoptosis | a form of programmed cell death that often follows extensive cell or DNA damage
Bacteriophage | a specific type of virus which infects bacterial cells
Chromatin | loose, uncondensed form of DNA which is commonly found in non-dividing cells where the DNA needs to be accessible
Chromosome | loose, uncondensed form of DNA which is commonly found in non-dividing cells where the DNA needs to be accessible
Chromosome | tight, condensed form of DNA which is commonly found in dividing cells so that the DNA remains organized for proper separation
DNA | type of nucleic acid which serves as our genetic information
DNA Ligase | DNA replication enzyme that seals together the fragments of DNA created during the replication process to create continuous daughter strands
DNA polymerase | DNA replication enzyme which synthesizes complementary daughter strands of DNA using the parent strands as a template
Gene | segment of DNA that encodes for a protein
Genome | an organism’s complete set of genes
Helicase | DNA replication enzyme which separates the strands of the parent DNA molecule
Hydrogen Bond | weak chemical bond
Karyotype | the shape, appearance and number of chromosomes in an individual’s cells
Missense Mutation | an alteration of a single nucleotide base within a gene that results in a change of a single amino acid of the protein product of that gene into a different amino acid
Mutagen | a physical or chemical agent that can cause DNA damage
Nonsense Mutation | an alteration of a single nucleotide base within a gene that results in a change of a single amino acid of the protein product of that gene into a stop signal for expressing that gene
Nucleotide | a chemical compound which serves as the building block for nucleic acids such as DNA and RNA
Phosphodiester Bond | strong chemical bond found between the sugar of one nucleotide and the phosphate of the next nucleotide in the chain
Primase | DNA replication enzyme which creates primers for DNA replication
Primer | short fragment of RNA nucleotides used to initiate the process of DNA replication
Radioisotope | a radioactive isotope which is unstable and emits radiation as it decays
RNA | type of nucleic acid which are involved in the expression of our genes
Silent Mutation | an alteration of a single nucleotide base within a gene that results in no change to protein product of that gene
Single Stranded Binding Proteins | DNA replication proteins which bind to the separated strands of the parent DNA molecule to hold them apart for replication
Telomerase | enzyme that functions to synthesize telomeres
Telomere | sequence of nucleotides located on the ends of linear chromosomes
Transformation | the process by which cells become genetically altered by incorporating foreign DNA either from their environment or by artificial means