DNA and RNA

DNA

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic Acid; 2 strands; A,T,C,G; stores genetic information.

RNA

Ribonucleic Acid; 1 strand; A,U,C,G; stores genetic information.

Deoxyribose

The sugar unit used in the backbone of DNA.

Ribose

The sugar unit used in the backbone of RNA.

Nucleic acid

The other part of the DNA and RNA backbone.

Nitrogenous base pairs (A,U,T,C,G)

Nitrogenous bases match with their opposite base as a code for DNA and RNA.

Purines

Adenine and guanine; match with pyrimidines.

Pyrimidines

Cytosine and thymine; match with purines.

Rosalind Franklin

Used crystallography to take a picture of the DNA and discovered the position of atoms in a DNA molecule.

Erwin Chargaff

Proved that the amount of cytosine is always equal to the amount of guanine and the amount of adenine is always equal to the amount of thymine.

James Watson/Francis Crick

Discovered the structure/backbone of DNA.

Griffith experiment

Proved that bacteria were capable of transferring genetic information through transformation.

Avery and Oswald experiment

Proved that isolated DNA was able to be rebuilt into two more DNA molecules.

Hershey and Chase experiment

Proved that radioactive sulfur molecules could attach to membranes but radioactive phosphorus molecules could not.

DNA replication

Copying a cell’s DNA.

Semiconservative replication

DNA splitting to duplicate itself by introducing a new strand to each DNA strand.

DNA helicase

Moves the replication forks by breaking the hydrogen bonds between nitrogenous base pairs.

DNA polymerase

Adds nucleotides to the ending 3’ end of a DNA strand.

DNA primase

Makes an RNA primer that polymerase can build on.

DNA ligase

Enzyme that seals any remaining nicks after the primers are replaced.

Okazaki fragments

The small fragments that the lagging strand is made up of.

Leading strand

The new strand that runs from 5’ to 3’ towards the fork.

Lagging strand

The old strand that runs from 5’ to 3’ away from the fork.

Replication fork/bubble

Y shaped structures that are created when DNA opens. DNA replication begins here.

Protein synthesis

The process of a cell making new proteins using the instructions from the DNA code.

Transcription

The process of making mRNA from DNA.

RNA polymerase

The enzyme that binds to DNA during transcription and builds the new mRNA molecule.

Codon

Exactly 3 base pair set, in which the genetic code is read during the process of translation.

Translation

The process of making proteins (polypeptides) by assembling amino acids, use the mRNA code made during transcription.

mRNA

The new type of RNA made during transcription, which will exit the nucleus via the nuclear pore.

tRNA

The type of RNA that reads codons on the mRNA, and then brings the corresponding amino acid to the ribosome to build the growing polypeptide (protein).

rRNA

Carries out protein synthesis in ribosomes.

Anticodon

Tthe complementary 3 base pair set to the mRNA molecule.

Amino acid

There are 20 of these known to exist, and they are the building blocks of polypeptides/proteins.

Polypeptide

Long chain of amino acids that makes up a protein (a functional protein requires many of these, then undergoing a 4-step protein folding process).

Protein

Molecules that do work in cells.

Substitute point mutation

Replacement of one nucleotide and it’s base pair. Silent - doesn’t change anything. Missense - results in different amino acids. Nonsense - results in early stop codon.

Insertion point mutation

The addition of a nucleotide base pair that shifts the codons.

Deletion point mutation

The deletion of a nucleotide base pair that shifts the codons.

Mutagen

A physical or chemical barrier that can be responsible for mutaitons.