Starter for Cells and Genomes 2.pdf

Cell – the basic structural and functional unit of all living things. Genome – the set of hereditary information encoded in the DNA of an organism, including both protein-coding & non-protein coding sequences. Gene – A DNA sequence coding for a single polypeptide. The fundamental physical unit of...

Cell – the basic structural and functional unit of all living things. Genome – the set of hereditary information encoded in the DNA of an organism, including both protein-coding & non-protein coding sequences. Gene – A DNA sequence coding for a single polypeptide. The fundamental physical unit of heredity w/c occupies a specific chromosomal locus. The 3 primary branches of the tree of Life Prokaryotes: Bacteria (or Eubacteria) Ex. E. coli Bacillus  lack cell wall & contain a genome w/ fewer than 500 genes Mycoplasma (Bacteria), the smallest known cells (0.2 µm diameter) Bacteria present in every habitat on Earth, from ice shelf of antarctic to the driest African deserts to internal confines of plants & animals The 3 primary branches of the tree of Life Prokaryotes: Archaea (or archaebacteria) Ex. Methanothermobacter Methanococcus Archaebacteria - those that can thrive in extreme conditions: extremely high temperatures extremely salty extremely acidic