Regina Bolin 3rd Block 01/08/13

Chapter 19 Vocabulary
1. Activator- a protein that binds to DNA and stimulates transcription of a specific gene 2. Alternative RNA splicing- a type of regulation at the RNA-processing level in which different mRNA molecules are produced from the same primary transcript, depending on which RNA segments are treated as exons and which as introns 3. Cell Differentiation- the structural and functional divergence of cells as they become specialized during a multicellular organisms development; dependent on the control of gene expression 4. Chromatin- the complex of DNA and protein that makes up a eukaryotic chromosome. When the cell is not dividing chromatin exits as a mass of very long, thin fibers that arent visible with a light microscope 5. Control Element- a segment of noncoding DNA that helps regulate transcription of a gene by binding proteins called transcription factors 6. Differential Gene Expression- the expression of different sets of gens by cells with the same genome 7. Enhancer- a DNA segment containing multiple control elements that may be located far away from the gene it regulates 8. Epigenetic Inheritance- inheritance of traits transmitted by mechanisms not directly involving the nucleotide sequence 9. Euchromatin- the more open, unraveled form of eukaryotic chromatin that is available for transcription 10. Genomic Imprinting- phenomenon in which expression of an allele in offspring depends on whether the allele is inherited from the male or female parent 11. Heterochromatin- nontranscribed eukaryotic chromatin that is so highly compacted that it is visible with a light microscope during interphase 12. Histone- a small protein with a high proportion of positively charges amino acids that binds to the negatively charges DNA and plays a key role in its chromatin structure 13. Histone Acetylation- the attachment of acetyl groups to certain amino acids of histone proteins 14. MicroRNA (miRNA)- a small, single-stranded RNA molecule that binds to a complementary sequence in mRNA molecules and directs associated proteins to degrade or prevent translation of the target mRNA 15. Multigene Family- a collection of genes with similar or identical sequences, presumably of common origin

Regina Bolin 3rd Block 01/08/13

16. Nucleosome- the basic, beadlike unit of DNA packaging in eukaryotes, consisting of a segment of DNA wound around a protein core composed of two copies of each of four types of histone 17. Oncogene- a gene found in viruses or as part of the normal genome that is involved in triggering cancerous characteristics 18. P53 Gene- the guardian angel of the genome, a gene that is expressed when a cells DNA is damaged. Its product, p53 protein, functions as a transcription factor for several genes 19. Proteasome- a giant protein complex that recognizes and destroys proteins tagged for elimination by the small protein ubiquitin 20. Proto-oncogene- a normal cellular gene corresponding to an oncogene; a gene with a potential to cause cancer but that requires some alteration to become an oncogene 21. Pseudogene- a DNA segment very similar to a real gene but which doesnt yield a functional product; a gene that has become inactivated in a particular species because of mutation 22. Ras Gene- a gene that codes for Ras protein, a G protein that relays a growth signal from a growth factor receptor on the plasma membrane to a cascade of protein kinases that ultimately results in the simulation of the cell cycle. Many ras oncogenes have a point mutation that leads to a hyperactive version of the Ras protein that can lead to excessive cell division 23. Repetitive DNA- nucleotide sequences, usually noncoding that are present in many copies on a eukaryotic genome. The repeated units may be short and arranged tandemly (in series) or long and dispersed in the genome 24. Repressor- a protein that suppresses the transcription of a gene 25. Retrotransposon- a transposable element that moves within a genome by means of an RNA intermediate, a transcript of the retrotransposon DNA 26. RNA Interference (RNAi)- a technique to silence the expression of selected genes in nonmammalian organisms, the method uses synthetic double-stranded RNA molecules matching the sequence of a particular gene to trigger the breakdown of the genes messenger RNA 27. Small Interfering RNA- single-stranded RNA molecule that binds to complementary sequences in mRNA and brings about the cleavage and degradation of the mRNA 28. Transcription Factor- a regulatory protein that binds to DNA and stimulates transcription of specific genes 29. Transposon- a transposable element that moves within a genome by means of a DNA intermediate 30. Tumor-Suppressor Gene- a gene whose protein products inhibit cell division, thereby preventing uncontrolled cell growth (cancer)