Glossary

• alleles- Alternative of a gene for a particular characteristic.
• amino acids- The building blocks of protein.
• autosomes- Chromosomes other than the X and Y. Chromosomes which are not involved in determining the sex of an individual.
• bases of nucleic acids- Organic bases found universally in DNA and RNA.
• base pair- A pair of hydrogen-bonded nitrogenous bases that join the component strands of the DNA double helix. Adenine pairs with thymine, guanine pairs with cytosine.
• biology- The science that deals with the study of life.
• cell- The basic structural unit that makes up all living organisms.
• cell membrane- The outer boundary of a cell also known as the plasma membrane.
• chromatin- Areas or structures within a nucleus of a cell composed of DNA and proteins.
• chromosome- Histone protein and DNA structure found inside the nucleus of a cell that contain the cell's genetic information.
• cytoplasm- The more fluid portion of protoplasm that surrounds the nucleus.
• deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)- A polymer of nucleotides that serves as genetic information. When combined with histone protein and tightly coiled, it is known as a chromosome.
• diploid- A cell that has two sets of chromosomes; one set from the father and one from the mother.
• double helix- The Watson-Crick model of DNA structure.
• gamete- A sex cell; a sperm or egg which contains half the genetic information of the parent.
• gene- A unit of inheritance that, in the classic sense, occupies a specific site (locus) within the chromosome.
• genetics- The science of heredity. The study of genes, how genes produce characteristics and how the characteristics are inherited.
• genome- The total genetic makeup of an individual or organism. A set of all the genes of an organism.
• haploid- A single set of chromosomes. Sperm and egg contain a haploid set of chromosomes.
• heredity- The familial phenomenon where biological traits are passed from parent to offspring.
• Human Genome Project- A 15-year, 3 billion dollar project conducted under the auspices of the National Institutes of Health to map and sequence all the DNA of a human prototype.
• Human Genome Diversity Project- A project designed to study human diversity and will involve a worldwide collection of genetic material from select indigenous people.
• karyotype- The chromosomal complement of a cell, individual or species often shown as a picture of chromosomes arranged in order from largest to smallest.
• locus- The spot or position on a chromosome where an allele is located.
• nucleus- The membrane-bounded structure found in a cell which contains the genetic material.
• nuclear membrane- The structure surrounding the nucleus that separates the nucleoplasm from the cytoplasm.
• nucleoplasm- The liquid matrix of the nucleus.
• protein- Macromolecules made up of amino acids.
• protoplasm- The living portion of a cell as opposed to the non-living cell wall.
• X chromosome- A sex chromosome. Two X chromosomes comprise a female.
• Y chromosome- A sex chromosome. An X and a Y chromosome comprise a male.
• zygote- The cell or entity resulting from the union of sperm and egg.

(From Concepts in Biology, Enger, E. D., et al., 1988 and A Dictionary of Genetics, King, R. C., and Stanfield, W. D., 1997.)