bio comp. multiple choice

Isotopes

Different forms of an element with the same number of protons but different numbers of neutrons, leading to variations in atomic weight.

Hydrogen Bonds

Weak chemical bonds formed between a hydrogen atom and an electronegative atom like oxygen or nitrogen.

Nucleic Acids

Biological macromolecules like DNA and RNA made of nucleotide monomers held together by phosphodiester bonds.

Translation

The process of protein synthesis where ribosomes match mRNA codons to tRNA anticodons to build a polypeptide chain.

Mitosis

Cell division resulting in two identical daughter cells with the same chromosome number as the parent cell.

Gene Expression

The process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize a functional gene product like a protein.

Recombinant DNA

DNA molecules formed by combining DNA from different sources using techniques like restriction enzymes and DNA ligase.

Hardy-Weinberg Theorem

Mathematical model stating that allele frequencies in a population will remain constant over generations if certain conditions are met.

Transcription Factors

Proteins that regulate gene expression by binding to specific DNA sequences and controlling the transcription of genetic information.

Central Dogma

The flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to proteins, representing the fundamental principle of molecular biology.

Protein Structure

The chemical characteristic of amino acid R-groups and their interaction with water's solvation shell, influencing protein folding into tertiary structure with levels including primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures.

Translation

Involves initiation, elongation, and termination mechanisms, focusing on ORFs, DNA mutations like point mutations (silent, missense, nonsense) and insertions/deletions causing frame shifts.

Catalysis of Translation

Ribosomes catalyze translation through the peptidyl transferase reaction adding amino acids to the polypeptide and the translocase reaction moving the ribosome along mRNA in a 5’ to 3’ direction.