Key Terms Unit 4 Sickle Cell
Amino Acid
Alpha-globin
Anemia
Beta-globin
Complication
Hemoglobin
Prognosis
Protein
Sickle cell
Symptom
Trait
Autosome
Chromosome
Contagious
Dominant trait
Gene
Genetic Material
Heredity
Karyotype
Mutation
Pedigree
An organic molecule possessing both carboxyl and amino
groups. Amino acids serve as the monomers of proteins.
The polypeptide chain of hemoglobin that is designated alpha.
A condition in which the blood is deficient in red blood cells, in
hemoglobin, or in total volume.
The polypeptide chain of hemoglobin that is designated beta
and that when deficient or defective causes various anemias
(as beta-thalassemia or sickle-cell anemia).
A secondary disease or condition that develops in the course
of a primary disease or condition and arises either as a result
of it or from independent causes.
An iron-containing protein in red blood cells that reversibly
binds oxygen.
The prospect of survival and recovery from a disease as
anticipated from the usual course of that disease or indicated
by special features of the case.
A three-dimensional biological polymer constructed from a set
of 20 different monomers called amino acids.
Deformed red blood cells that can lead to numerous symptoms
and caused by a genetic mutation in the hemoglobin protein.
Subjective evidence of disease or physical disturbance
observed by the patient; for example a headache is a
symptom of many diseases.
An inherited characteristic.
A chromosome that is not directly involved in determining sex,
as opposed to a sex chromosome.
Any of the usually linear bodies in the cell nucleus that contain
the genetic material.
Capable of being transmitted from person to person, animal to
animal, animal to human, or human to animal by contact.
A genetic trait is considered dominant if it is expressed in a
person who has only one copy of the gene associated with the
trait.
A discrete unit of hereditary information.
Molecules responsible for heredity and variation of organisms.
The transmission of traits from ancestor to descendant.
A display of the chromosome pairs of a cell arranged by size
and shape.
A rare change in the genetic material, ultimately creating
genetic diversity.
A diagram of a family tree showing the occurrence of heritable
characters in parents and offspring over multiple generations.
Sex Chromosome
Recessive trait
Adenine
Buffer
Cytosine
Gene
Guanine
Helix
Histone
Hydrogen bond
Lysis
Model
Nucleotide
Thymine
Supernatant
Amino group
Carboxyl group
Codon
Exon
One of the pair of chromosomes responsible for determining
the sex of an individual.
A condition that appears only in individuals who have received
two copies of a mutant gene, one copy from each parent.
A component of nucleic acids, energy-carrying molecules such
as ATP, and certain coenzymes. Chemically, it is a purine
base.
A solution that minimizes changes in pH when extraneous
acids or bases are added to the solution.
A component of nucleic acids that carries hereditary
information in DNA and RNA in cells. Chemically, it is a
pyrimidine base.
A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific
nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses).
A component of nucleic acids that carries hereditary
information in DNA and RNA in cells. Chemically, it is a purine
base.
Something spiral in form.
A small protein with a high proportion of positively charged
amino acids that binds to the negatively charged DNA and
plays a key role in its chromatin structure.
A type of weak chemical bond formed when the slightly
positive hydrogen atom of a polar covalent bond in one
molecule is attracted to the slightly negative atom of a polar
covalent bond in another molecule.
A process of disintegration or dissolution (as of cells).
A simplified version of something complex used, for example,
to analyze and solve problems or make predictions.
A building block of DNA, consisting of a five-carbon sugar
covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate
group.
A component of nucleic acid that carries hereditary information
in DNA in cells. Chemically, it is a pyrimidine base.
The liquid on top of material deposited by settling or
centrifugation.
A functional group that consists of a nitrogen atom bonded to
two hydrogen atoms.
A functional group present in organic acids and consisting of a
single carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and
also bonded to a hydroxyl group.
A three-nucleotide sequence of DNA or mRNA that specifies a
particular amino acid or termination signal; the basic unit of the
genetic code.
A coding region of a eukaryotic gene. Exons, which are
expressed, are separated from each other by introns.
Gene
Hydrophilic
Hydrophobic
Hydroxyl group
Intron
Messenger RNA
(mRNA)
Mutation
Nucleotide
Primary Structure
Quaternary
Structure
Ribonucleic Acid
(RNA)
Ribosome
Secondary
Structure
Tertiary Structure
Transcription
Transfer RNA
(tRNA)
Translation
Dominant trait
A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific
nucleotide sequence in DNA.
Having an affinity for water.
Having an aversion to water; tending to coalesce and form
droplets in water.
A functional group consisting of a hydrogen atom joined to an
oxygen atom by a polar covalent bond. Molecules possessing
this group are soluble in water and are called alcohols.
A non-coding, intervening sequence within a eukaryotic gene.
A type of RNA, synthesized from DNA and attaches to
ribosomes in the cytoplasm; it specifies the primary structure
of a protein.
A rare change in the DNA of a gene, ultimately creating
genetic diversity.
The building block of a nucleic acid, consisting of a five-carbon
sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a
phosphate group.
The level of protein structure referring to the specific sequence
of amino acids.
The particular shape of a complex, aggregate protein, defined
by the characteristic three-dimensional arrangement of its
constituent subunits, each a polypeptide.
A type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with
a ribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A),
cytosine (C), guanine (G), and uracil (U); usually singlestranded; functions in protein synthesis and as the genome of
some viruses.
A cell organelle that functions as the site of protein synthesis
in the cytoplasm; consists of ribosomal RNA and protein
molecules, and is formed by combining two subunits.
The localized, repetitive coiling or folding of the backbone of a
protein due to hydrogen bond formation between amino acids.
Irregular contortions of a protein molecule due to interactions
of side chains involved in hydrophobic interactions, ionic
bonds, hydrogen bonds, and disulfide bridges.
The synthesis of RNA on a DNA template.
An RNA molecule that functions as an interpreter between
nucleic acid and protein language by picking up specific amino
acids and recognizing the appropriate codons in the mRNA.
The synthesis of a polypeptide using the genetic information
encoded in an mRNA molecule. There is a change of
language from nucleotides to amino acids.
A genetic trait is considered dominant if it is expressed in a
person who has only one copy of the gene associated with the
trait.
Hydrophilic
Hydrophobic
Karyotype
Mutation
Recessive trait
Polymerize
Having an affinity for water.
Having an aversion to water; tending to coalesce and form
droplets in water.
A display of the chromosome pairs of a cell arranged by size
and shape.
A rare change in the DNA of a gene, ultimately creating
genetic diversity.
A condition that appears only in individuals who have received
two copies of the gene associated with the trait, one copy from
each parent.
To undergo a chemical reaction in which two or more small
molecules combine to form larger molecules that contain
repeating structural units of the original molecules.