Chapter 8: Microbial Genetics and Genetic Engineering

What are the three components of a DNA nucleotide?

phosphate, deoxyribose sugar, nitrogen base

A small circular segment of DNA found in the cytoplasm of bacteria that is capable of independent replication and usually contains nonessential genes is called a(n)

plasmid

In translation, all of the elements needed to synthesize a _____, from the mRNA to the amino acids, are brought together on the ribosome.

protein

Which organic molecule is formed from chains of amino acids that are produced in translation?

protein

Which type of RNA composes ribosomal subunits?

rRNA

An event in which one bacterium donates DNA to another bacterium, resulting in a strain that differs from both donor and recipient, is a type of genetic transfer called

recombination

The transfer of genes from a donor to a recipient microorganism, forming a new strain different from both donor and recipient, is called

recombination

During ______, the DNA is duplicated prior to binary fission.

replication

The process of duplicating DNA is called DNA ______.

replication

Unlike DNA, RNA contains the sugar called

ribose

Translation involves the assembly of a protein from amino acids on a ______.

ribosome

All DNA nucleotides contain the same ______, but different ______.

sugar and phosphate; nitrogenous bases

True or false: Only viruses can have an RNA genome.

true

What is the central theme of molecular biology?

DNA encodes RNA which encodes protein

Cellular genomes are composed of ______.

DNA only

The central theme of biology indicates that genetic information flows from ______.

DNA-RNA-protein

Match the definition of horizontal and vertical gene transfer.

Horizontal gene transfer- Transfer of DNA from a source other than the parent organisms Vertical gene transfer- Transfer of DNA from parent organisms during reproduction

The structure of DNA is essential for providing variety since the order of nucleotides is responsible for the unique qualities of each organism.

True

Unlike DNA, RNA contains the nitrogenous base

Uracil

Which group of microbes has representatives with either an RNA or DNA genome?

Viruses

In DNA, each nucleotide is composed of a sugar called ______ , a nitrogenous ________ , and a _________ group.

deoxyribose, base, phosphate group

Ensuring that the DNA code is maintained during DNA replication and cell ___________ is one of the essential effects of DNA structure.

divison

The science of heredity is ______.

genetics

The study of the inheritance of living things is called

genetics

The ______ is the sum total of genetic material in an organism.

genome

Which term represents all of the genetic information within a cell?

genome

Transfer of DNA that results in organisms acquiring new genes that did not come directly from parent organisms is called ______ gene transfer.

horizontal

A copy of the DNA template corresponding to a protein-encoding gene is called _________ RNA.

messenger

Which type of RNA is a copy of a structural gene that codes for a protein?

messenger RNA

The genomes of cells are composed of

DNA

A codon contains how many nucleotides?

3

Which describes a plasmid?

A small circular piece of DNA that replicates its nonessential genes independently of the chromosome

Which term refers to the transfer of genes from donor to recipient microorganisms?

Recombination

How do an Hfr cell and an F+ cell differ?

The plasmid is integrated into the chromosome of an Hfr cell but not in an F+ cell.

Which of the following are methods of gene transfer in bacteria?

Transduction Transformation Conjugation

The specific sequence of 3 mRNA nucleotides, based on a DNA triplet, that encodes a particular amino acid is a(n) .

codon

After conjugation, the donor bacterium generally retains a copy of the genetic material that has been transferred, making conjugation a(n) _____________ process.

conservative

A sequence of DNA in a eukaryotic gene that does not code for protein is called a(n)

intron

Which term identifies a sequence of DNA in a eukaryotic gene that does not code for protein?

intron

Found interspersed between portions of the coding region within a eukaryotic gene, one to several sequences that do not code for protein are called ______.

introns

The letter A is pointing to two molecules of RNA.

transfer

The uptake of free DNA by competent bacterial cells is called

transformation

Three methods of gene transfer in bacteria are conjugation,_____________ , and transduction.

transformation