Introduction to Genetics: Study and Science of Heredity

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

What is the definition of genetics?

The study of cell division and DNA replication

The study of heredity and inherited characteristics (correct)

The study of biological information storage and usage

The study of disease genetics and its limitations

What do geneticists examine?

The size of the genetic component of a disease

Mendel's experiments and their relation to genetics

Biological information usage in organisms (correct)

The structure of genetic material

What do course competencies include?

Description of genetic material structure and processes (correct)

Appreciation of the development and future potential of genetics

Understanding the size of genetic diseases

Mendel's experiments and their relation to genetics

What did biochemists isolate in the early 1900s?

Hundreds of different chemicals from living cells Signup and view all the answers

What are some basic genetic concepts that learners should be able to define by the end of the course?

Gene, polymorphism, and haplotype Signup and view all the answers

What is the focus of geneticists in understanding hereditary traits?

Investigating how biological information is passed on to progeny Signup and view all the answers

What did Griffith's Transformation Experiment demonstrate about genetic material?

DNA, rather than proteins, is the genetic material Signup and view all the answers

What was responsible for transforming the R-strain cells into S-type cells in Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty's experiment?

Nucleic acids from S-type cells Signup and view all the answers

What did Hershey and Chase's experiment determine about the genetic blueprint for the T2 bacteriophage virus?

Only DNA contained the genetic blueprint Signup and view all the answers

What did Griffith's experiment consist of?

Mixing heat-treated S-type cells with R-type bacteria Signup and view all the answers

What did Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty separate the S-type cells into to identify the transforming molecule?

Proteins, polysaccharides, lipids, and nucleic acids Signup and view all the answers

What did Hershey and Chase grow in the presence of radioactive isotopes to study genetic information transmission?

T2 bacteriophage virus Signup and view all the answers

What happened when cellular extracts of S-type cells were treated with DNase in Avery, MacLeod, and McCarty's experiment?

The transformation ability was lost Signup and view all the answers

Which bacterium was used by Hershey and Chase in their study of genetic information transmission?

Escherichia coli Signup and view all the answers

What did Griffith notice when he mixed "heat-treated" S-strain cells with R-type bacteria?

"Heat-treated" S-strain cells recovered Signup and view all the answers

What are the purines in a nucleotide sequence of DNA?

Adenine (A) and Guanine (G) Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of exons in the DNA molecule?

Contain the actual genetic information coding for protein Signup and view all the answers

What does a codon represent in the DNA or RNA molecule?

A sequence of three bases that codes for a single amino acid Signup and view all the answers

What was known about Chargaff's Rules related to DNA before Watson and Crick determined the structure of DNA?

Relative amount of each nucleotide present in almost any extract of DNA Signup and view all the answers

What is the composition of nucleotides in DNA?

Base (purine or pyrimidine), deoxyribose sugar, and a phosphate group Signup and view all the answers

What holds together the two complementary DNA strands in the double helix?

Hydrogen bonds between the base pairs A–T and G–C Signup and view all the answers

What is the essential observation made by Chargaff about the abundance of nucleotides in a DNA molecule?

The abundance of A was equal to the abundance of T, and G was equal to C. Signup and view all the answers

What did Watson and Crick deduce from their metal models of individual nucleotides and Chargaff's Rules?

The DNA bases extend from the backbone towards the center of the helix. Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of a gene in the DNA molecule?

It is responsible for the regulatory sequences that control the expression of a particular trait. Signup and view all the answers

What constitutes a genome in an individual?

It is the complete set of hereditary information possessed by an individual. Signup and view all the answers

What does heterochromatin primarily consist of?

Chromatin that is condensed because it is not being transcribed. Signup and view all the answers

What type of bonds help to hold the two strands of DNA together in a double helix?

Hydrogen bonds Signup and view all the answers

What can A and T form with each other within the structure of DNA?

$H_2$ bonds Signup and view all the answers

What are major and minor grooves in a DNA double helix created by?

Offsetting of the two strands Signup and view all the answers

What are genes primarily composed of?

DNA double helix complexed with proteins Signup and view all the answers

What do regulatory sequences associated with genes control?

The expression of a particular trait Signup and view all the answers