• Prokaryotic cells are single-celled entities that are primitive in structure and function

as they lack a membrane-bound nucleus and other organelles.

• Eukaryotic cells are the cells that are complex in structure and function as they have
a membrane-bound well-defined nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.
• Cell organelle is a specialized entity present inside a particular type of cell that
performs a specific function.
• A chromosome is a thread-like structure present in the nucleus or nuclear region of
the cytoplasm that is made up of a single molecule of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) and
proteins, carrying some or all genetic materials of an organism.
• Centremere: The dense, constricted region containing highly-specialized repetitive
DNA sequence, and functions chiefly by joining the two sister chromatids that make up the
X-shaped chromosome and by serving as a site for kinetochore assembly during cell division
• A chromatid is an identical half of a duplicated chromosome. After duplication of a
chromosome, two identical halves are formed, each of which is called a chromatid.
• A homologous chromosome pertains to one of a pair of chromosomes with the same
gene sequence, loci, chromosomal length, and centromere location.
• Spindle: A collection of minute fibers composed of microtubules, which are
prominent during cell division, as mitotic spindle or ”mitotic apparatus’‘.
• Diploid: A cell or an organism consisting of two sets of chromosomes: usually, one
set from the mother and another set from the father.
• haploid describes a condition, a cell, or an organism that contains half of the set of
homologous chromosomes present in the somatic cell.
• A gamete is the mature reproductive or sex cell that contains a haploid number of
chromosomes (i.e., 50% of the genetic material or only one set of dissimilar chromosomes)
and is capable of fusing with another haploid reproductive cell to form a diploid zygote.
• mitosis refers to the cellular process where a single cell divides resulting in two
identical cells. Mitosis is a form of cellular division that involves the somatic cells whereas
meiosis is a cell division employed by the sex cells. The mitosis steps include preprophase
(in plant cells), prophase, prometaphase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.
• Meiosis: A form of cell division happening in sexually reproducing organisms by
which two consecutive nuclear divisions (meiosis I and meiosis II) occur without the
chromosomal replication in between, leading to the production of four haploid gametes (sex
cells), each containing one of every pair of homologous chromosomes (that is, with the
maternal and paternal chromosomes being distributed randomly between the cells)

chromosomes - a threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most
living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes.

chromatids - each of the two threadlike strands into which a chromosome divides longitudinally
during cell division. Each contains a double helix of DNA.

genotype - the genetic constitution of an individual organism.

phenotype - the set of observable characteristics of an individual resulting from the interaction of
its genotype with the environment.
DNA - the molecule that contains the genetic code of organisms.

nucleotide - the basic building block of nucleic acids.

base - The nucleobase of a nucleotide involved in base pairing, as of a DNA or RNA polymer.

RNA - Ribonucleic acid is a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding,
decoding, regulation and expression of genes.

MRNA - Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a single-stranded RNA molecule that is complementary to

one of the DNA strands of a gene.

ribosomes - Ribosomes are macromolecular machines, found within all living cells, that perform
biological protein synthesis.

transcription -the first of several steps of DNA based gene expression in which a particular
segment of DNA is copied into RNA by the enzyme RNA polymerase.

translation - the process of translating the sequence of a messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule to a
sequence of amino acids during protein synthesis.

gene - A gene is a unit of hereditary information.

allele - An allele is a variant form of a gene. homologous - a similarity in internal or chromosomal

structures.

diploid - is a cell or organism that has paired chromosomes, one from each parent. In humans,
cells other than human sex cells, are diploid and have 23 pairs of chromosomes.

haploid - is the quality of a cell or organism having a single set of chromosomes. Organisms that
reproduce asexually are haploid.

gamete - is an organism's reproductive cells. They are also referred to as sex cells.

karyotype - is an individual's collection of chromosomes.

mutagen - an alteration in the nucleotide sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or

extrachromosomal DNA.

mutant - An organism, gene, or chromosome that is different from the wild type by one or

more (new) characteristics as caused by mutation(s).