meiosis terms

• What are autosomes?


  Any chromosome that is not a sex chromosome
• What is a bivalent?


  A pair of homologous chromosomes physically held together by at least one DNA crossover
• What is the function of the centromere?


  It holds two chromatids together and attaches to the spindle during cell division
• What is a chiasma?


  The point of contact between two non-sister chromatids during crossing over
• What is a chromosome?


  A threadlike strand formed when a chromosome divides into two chromatids
• What is a chromatid?


  One of the two identical copies of a chromosome formed by DNA replication
• What does chromosome number refer to?


  The number of chromosomes present in each somatic cell
• What is cleavage in cell biology?


  A kind of splitting or separation
• What is crossing over?


  The exchange of genes between homologous chromosomes
• What is cytokinesis?

  The division of the cell cytoplasm into two daughter cells
• What are daughter chromosomes?


  Chromosomes that result from the separation of sister chromatids during cell division
• What does diploid mean?


  A cell or nucleus containing two complete sets of chromosomes
• What is Down's syndrome?


  A genetic disorder caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21
• What is meiosis?


  A type of cell division that gives rise to four genetically different gametes
• What is the equator of a cell during division?


  The central plane of the spindle where chromosomes migrate during metaphase
• What is a gamete?


  A mature haploid male or female germ cell
• What is a gene?


  A unit of heredity made of a distinct sequence of nucleotides
• What are gonosomes?


  The pair of chromosomes responsible for sex determination
• What does haploid mean?


  A cell or nucleus containing a single set of unpaired chromosomes
• What are histones?


  A type of protein found in chromosomes
• What is a homologous pair?


  A pair of chromosomes with the same structural features and gene patterns
• What are homologues?


  The two chromosomes of a homologous pair
• What is independent/random segregation in meiosis?


  The arbitrary orientation of homologous chromosomes on either side of the equator
• What is independent assortment?


  The separation of alleles of one gene into gametes independently of other genes
• What is interphase?


  The period following the completion of cell division when the nucleus is not dividing
• What is karyokinesis?


  The division of the cell nucleus into two daughter nuclei
• What is a karyotype?


  A preparation of the complete set of metaphase chromosomes in a cell
• What is Klinefelter's syndrome?


  A genetic condition caused by an extra copy of the X chromosome in boys
• What does maternally derived chromosomes mean?


  Chromosomes inherited in the gamete from the mother
• What is meiosis also known as?


  Reduction division
• What is mitosis?


  A process of cell division that produces two genetically identical daughter cells
• What is a mutation?


  The changing of the structure of a gene, resulting in a variant form
• What is non-disjunction?


  The failure of homologous chromosomes or sister chromatids to separate normally
• What does paternally derived chromosomes mean?


  Chromosomes inherited in the gamete from the father
• What is a recombinant chromatid?


  Chromatids that have exchanged alleles during crossing over
• What is reduction division?


  A type of cell division that gives rise to four gametes with half the chromosome number
• What are sister chromatids?


  Two identical copies of the same chromosome formed by DNA replication
• What is a spindle?


  A network of filaments responsible for moving and segregating chromosomes
• What are spindle fibres?


  Filaments that form a mitotic or meiotic spindle
• What is synapse in meiosis?


  An event where homologous chromosomes pair and exchange genetic information