2.1 DNA Replication, Transcription and Translation

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts related to DNA replication and transcription.

Nucleus

The cell organelle responsible for information storage, housing DNA.

DNA Replication

The process by which a cell duplicates its DNA before cell division.

Central Dogma

The flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein.

Transcription

The process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template.

Translation

The process of synthesizing proteins from mRNA at ribosomes.

mRNA

Messenger RNA that conveys genetic information from DNA to the ribosome.

tRNA

Transfer RNA that carries amino acids to the ribosome for protein synthesis.

rRNA

Ribosomal RNA that forms the core of ribosome's structure and catalyzes protein synthesis.

DNA polymerase

The enzyme responsible for synthesizing new DNA strands during replication.

Ligase

The enzyme that joins Okazaki fragments to form a unified DNA strand.

Okazaki fragments

Short segments of DNA synthesized on the lagging strand during replication.

Exonuclease

An enzyme that removes RNA primers during DNA replication.

Mismatch repair

A DNA repair process that fixes incorrectly paired bases.

Homologous recombination

A DNA repair mechanism that uses an undamaged homologous chromosome as a template.

Nucleotide excision repair

A DNA repair process that removes and replaces damaged nucleotides.

Amino acid

The building blocks of proteins, encoded by mRNA during translation.

Gene activation

The process of uncoiling DNA to expose a gene sequence for transcription.

5’ cap

A modified guanine nucleotide added to the 5’ end of mRNA for protection and initiation of translation.

Poly(A) tail

A sequence of adenine nucleotides added to the 3’ end of mRNA that aids in export and stability.