Genetic Terms
25 Genetic Terms
Terms
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- Protein
- A large complex molecule made up of one or more chains of amino acids. Proteins perform a wide variety of activities in the cell.
- Syndrome
- The group or recognizable pattern of symptoms or abnormalities that indicate a particular trait or disease.
- Botany
- plant study
- Amino Acids
- A group of 20 different kinds of small molecules that link together in long chains to form proteins. Often referred to as the "building blocks" of proteins.
- Gene Pool
- The sum total of genes, with all their variations, possessed by a particular species at a particular time.
- Nucleus
- The central cell structure that houses the chromosomes.
- Retrovirus
- A type of virus that contains RNA as its genetic material. The RNA of the virus is translated into DNA, which inserts itself into an infected cell's own DNA. Retroviruses can cause many diseases, including some cancers and AIDS.
- Ribosome
- Cellular organelle that is the site of protein synthesis
- Thymine
- One of the four bases in DNA that make up the letters ATGC, thymine is the "T". The others are adenine, guanine, and cytosine. Thymine always pairs with adenine.
- Gene
- The functional and physical unit of heredity passed from parent to offspring. Genes are pieces of DNA, and most genes contain the information for making a specific protein.
- Transgenic
- An experimentally produced organism in which DNA has been artificially introduced and incorporated into the organism's germ line, usually by injecting the foreign DNA into the nucleus of a fertilized embryo.
- Enzyme
- A protein that encourages a biochemical reaction, usually speeding it up. Organisms could not function if they had no enzymes.
- Nucleotide
- One of the structural components, or building blocks, of DNA and RNA. A nucleotide consists of a base (one of four chemicals: adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine) plus a molecule of sugar and one of phosphoric acid.
- Anatomy
- science
- Heredity
- Traits
- Genome
- All the DNA contained in an organism or a cell, which includes both the chromosomes within the nucleus and the DNA in mitochondria.
- Genealogy
- Family tree
- Substitution
- Replacement of one nucleotide in a DNA sequence by another nucleotide or replacement of one amino acid in a protein by another amino acid.
- Translocation
- Breakage and removal of a large segment of DNA from one chromosome, followed by the segment's attachment to a different chromosome
- Phenotype
- The observable traits or characteristics of an organism, for example hair color, weight, or the presence or absence of a disease. Phenotypic traits are not necessarily genetic.
- Human Genome Project
- An international research project to map each human gene and to completely sequence human DNA.
- Leukemia
- Cancer of the developing blood cells in the bone marrow. Leukemia leads to rampant overproduction of white blood cells (leukocytes); symptoms usually include anemia, fever, enlarged liver, spleen, and/or lymph nodes.
- Genotype
- The genetic identity of an individual that does not show as outward characteristics.
- Bacteria
- A single-celled organism. Bacteria are found throughout nature and can be beneficial or pathogenic.
- Inherited
- Transmitted through genes from parents to offspring.