B1. YOU AND YOUR GENES

• all the genetic material of an organism

  genome
• it controls how an organism develops and functions

  genetic information
• where is the genetic material in humans and animals found?

  nucleus
• contains the chromosomes

  nucleus
• cells that have a nucleus

  eukaryotic cells
• cells that does not have a nucleus; the genetic material is in the cytoplasm

  prokaryotic cells
• small loops of genetic material; can be used in genetic engineering

  plasmid
• the genetic material is stored as long threads called chromosomes inside the nucleus of a cell
• long, thin, threadlike structure made from molecules of dna; stores genetic information

  chromosome
• there are 46 chromosomes in a human cell
• chromosomes are presented in pairs of 23
• chromosomes are made of very long molecules of DNA
• the structure of the DNA was discovered in 1953 by James Watson and Francis Crick
• the DNA consists of two strands that are twisted together to form a double helix
• the DNA is a polymer made up of monomers called nucleotides
• a polymer is a long chain molecule made from lots of small molecules
• the monomer of DNA and RNA

  nucleotide
• each nucleotide is composed of a common sugar (pentose), a phosphate group, and a base
• small molecules that make up the polymer

  monomer
• explain how the environment can affect how information stored in your genome is used.
• a region of DNA containing the instructions for a cell that give the order of amino acids in a protein

  gene
• each chromosome contains many genes
• genes contain the instructions that the cell uses to make proteins
• when the instructions in genes are read to make proteins

  gene expression
• controlling gene expression controls which proteins are made by a cell
• the study of the structure and function of genomes

  genomics
• a natural polymer made from amino acids; can be structural or functional

  protein
• proteins can be:

  • structural: collagen (a protein found in connective tissues)
  • functional: amylase (an enzyme that speeds up chemical reactions)
• functions of proteins

  • builds cells and tissues
  • fight bacteria and viruses
  • move muscles
  • they can be enzymes that speed up chemical reactions
  • they can send chemical messages around the body
  • can carry oxygen in the blood
• protein molecules are polymers made from amino acids
• amino acid monomers are joined together by chemical bonds
• amino acids can be arranged in different sequences to make all the proteins in our body
• different proteins have different shapes that are important to how it works. the shape of a protein molecule is controlled by instructions in a gene.
• the information stored in genes and the genome is used to control your growth
• a single gene can have a disruptive effect on development
• a change in the PAH gene can lead to a disease called phenylketonuria (PKU)
• the PAH gene contains the information to make the enzyme that breaks down phenylalanine
• the two copies of chromosome 12 from your parents each contain the PAH gene.
• the two copies of a gene in a pair of chromosomes which can be the same or different

  allele
• a different version of a gene caused by a change (mutation) in the DNA

  genetic variant