Science Flash Cards

Front 1

cell cycle

Back 1

the cycle of growth and asexual reproduction of a cell, consisting of interphase followed in actively dividing cells by prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

Front 2

mitosis

Back 2

the usual method of cell division characterized typically by the resolving of the chromatin of the nucleus into a threadlike form, which condenses into chromosomes, each of which separates longitudinally into two parts, one part of each chromosome being retained in each of two new cells resulting from the original cell.

Front 3

cytokinesis

Back 3

the division of the cell cytoplasm that usually follows mitotic or meiotic division of the nucleus.

Front 4

chromosome

Back 4

any of several threadlike bodies, consisting of chromatin, that carry the genes in a linear order: the human species has 23 pairs, designated 1to 22 in order of decreasing size and X and Y for the female and male sex chromosomes respectively.

Front 5

histone

Back 5

any of a group of five small basic proteins, occurring in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, that organize DNA strands into nucleosomes by forming molecular complexes around which the DNA winds.

Front 6

chromatin

Back 6

the readily stainable substance of a cell nucleus, consisting of DNA, RNA, and various proteins, that forms chromosomes during cell division.

Front 7

chromatid

Back 7

one of two identical chromosomal strands into which a chromosome splits longitudinally preparatory to cell division.

Front 8

centromere

Back 8

A specialized structure on the chromosome, appearing during cell division as the constricted central region where the two chromatids are held together and form and X shape.

Front 9

telomere

Back 9

The segment of DNA that occurs at the ends of chromosomes.

Front 10

prophase

Back 10

Cell Biology. The first stage of mitosis or meiosis in eukaryotic cell division, during which the nuclear envelope breaks down and strands of chromatin form into chromosomes.

Front 11

metaphase

Back 11

The stage in mitosis or meiosis in which the duplicated chromosomes line up along the equatorial plate of the spindle.

Front 12

anaphase

Back 12

The stage in mitosis or meiosis following metaphase in which the daughter chromosomes move away from each other opposite ends to the cell.

Front 13

telophase

Back 13

the final stage of meiosis or mitosis, in which the separated chromosomes reach the opposite poles of dividing cell and the nuclei of the daughter cells form around the two sets of chromosomes.

Front 14

growth factor

Back 14

any of various proteins that promote the growth, organization, and maintenance of cells and tissues.

Front 15

apoptosis

Back 15

a normal, genetically regulated process leading to the death of cells and triggered by the presence or absence of certain stimuli, as DNA damage.

Front 16

cancer

Back 16

a malignant and invasive growth or tumor, especially one originating in epithelium, tending to recur after exicision and to metastasize to other sites.

Front 17

benign

Back 17

not malignant; self-limiting.

Front 18

malignant

Back 18

tending to produce death, as bubonic plague.

Front 19

metastasize

Back 19

(of malignant cells or disease-producing organisms) to spread to other parts of the body by way ofthe blood or lymphatic vessels or membranous surfaces.

Front 20

carcinogen

Back 20

any substance or agent that tends to produce a cancer.

Front 21

asexual reproduction

Back 21

reproduction, ad budding, fission, or spore formation, not involving the union of gametes.

Front 22

binary fission

Back 22

fission into two organisms approximately equal in size.

Front 23

tissue

Back 23

an aggregate of similar cells and cell products forming a definite kind of structural material with a specificfunction, in a multicellular organism.

Front 24

organ

Back 24

a grouping of tissues into a distinct structure, a heart or kidney in animals or a leaf or stamen in plants, that performs a specialized task.

Front 25

organ system

Back 25

A group of organs.

Front 26

cell differentiaion

Back 26

In developmental biology, cellular differentiation is the process of a cell changing from one cell type to another. Most commonly this is a less specialized type becoming a more specialized type, such as during cell growth.