Genes & Alleles exam Flashcards
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Terms in this set (28)
Gene
A segment of DNA that encodes specific proteins, influencing traits.
What is an allele?
An alternative version of a specific gene.
Dominant Allele
An allele represented by a capital letter that can mask the presence of a recessive allele.
What does a recessive allele represent?
An allele represented by a lowercase letter that can be masked by a dominant allele.
What is a haploid cell?
A cell with one copy of each gene or chromosome, symbolized as n.
Diploid Cell
A cell with two copies of each gene or chromosome, symbolized as 2n.
How many copies of each gene does a diploid cell have?
Two copies, one from each parent.
Meiosis
A process that involves the distribution of alleles in offspring.
What is the significance of capital and lowercase letters in genetics?
They represent dominant and recessive alleles, respectively.
Trait
A specific characteristic influenced by genes and alleles.
What does the term 'ploidy' refer to?
The number of sets of chromosomes in a cell.
Chromosome
A structure made of DNA that contains many genes.
What is the difference between haploid and diploid cells?
Haploid cells have one set of chromosomes (n), while diploid cells have two sets (2n).
Sister Chromatids
Identical copies of a chromosome connected by a centromere.
What is the role of proteins encoded by genes?
They lead to the expression of specific traits.
Eye Color
An example of a trait influenced by different alleles of a gene.
How are alleles represented in genetic notation?
Using capital and lowercase letters.
Inheritance
The process by which genetic information is passed from parents to offspring.
What does the term 'haploid' mean?
Having one copy of each gene or chromosome.
Diploid
Having two copies of each gene or chromosome.
What is the symbol for a haploid cell?
n
What is the symbol for a diploid cell?
2n
Gene Expression
The process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize a functional gene product, often a protein.
What is the relationship between genes and traits?
Genes encode proteins that influence traits.
Alternative Versions of Genes
Alleles
What does the root 'di' in diploid signify?
Two, indicating two sets of chromosomes.
What does the root 'hap' in haploid signify?
Half, indicating one set of chromosomes.
Chromosome Set
A complete set of chromosomes, one from each parent in diploid cells.