Chapter 11 & 12 Review: Protein Synthesis and Nucleic Acid Technologies

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and definitions related to protein synthesis and nucleic acid technologies to aid in understanding and memorization for the exam.

Codon

A sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that specifies a particular amino acid or a stop signal during protein synthesis.

Anticodon

A sequence of three nucleotides on a tRNA molecule that is complementary to a codon in mRNA.

Degenerate continuous triplet mRNA code

The genetic code is degenerate (multiple codons can specify the same amino acid), continuous (read without breaks), and a triplet code (each amino acid specified by three nucleotides).

Reading Frame (ORF - Open Reading Frame)

The specific sequence of nucleotides that are read as codons during translation, starting with a start codon and ending with a stop codon.

Chaperone Protein

Proteins that assist in the proper folding of other proteins, preventing aggregation and helping with their refolding after stress.

Posttranslational Modification (PTM)

Chemical modifications of a protein after its synthesis, altering its structure, function, stability, or localization.

Ubiquitin

A small regulatory protein that tags proteins for degradation by the proteasome.

Proteasome

A large protein complex responsible for degrading ubiquitinated proteins within the cell.

SRNA (small RNA)

Non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene expression by binding to mRNA.

Riboswitch

A regulatory segment of an mRNA molecule that binds a small molecule, causing a conformational change affecting gene expression.

Attenuation

A regulatory mechanism in some bacterial operons where transcription is prematurely terminated based on the translation status of a leader peptide.

miRNA (microRNA)

Small, non-coding RNA molecules that typically bind to target mRNA molecules, leading to their degradation or translational repression.

RNAi (RNA interference)

A biological process where RNA molecules inhibit gene expression or translation, by neutralizing targeted mRNA molecules.

Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetases

Enzymes crucial for accurate protein synthesis, catalyzing the attachment of a correct amino acid to its corresponding tRNA.

EF-Tu/eEF1

An elongation factor that binds to aminoacyl-tRNAs and delivers them to the A site of the ribosome.

Peptide Bond Formation

The process where the amino group of an amino acid in the A site attacks the carboxyl group of the polypeptide in the P site, catalyzed by ribosomal RNA.

Chaperonin (HSP60)

Large barrel-shaped chaperones that provide an environment for protein folding.

Ricin

A highly toxic protein that cleaves adenine from ribosomal RNA, inactivating protein synthesis.

PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction)

A molecular biology technique used to amplify a piece of DNA, generating millions of copies.

DNA Cloning

The process of making multiple identical copies of a specific piece of DNA.

Plasmid

A small circular DNA molecule that can replicate independently and is often used as a vector for cloning.

Gibson Assembly

A method for joining multiple DNA fragments in a single isothermal reaction.

Restriction Endonuclease

Enzymes that cleave DNA at specific sequences, essential in molecular cloning.

RNA-seq (RNA sequencing)

A powerful technique that reveals the presence and quantity of RNA in a biological sample.

Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS)

High-throughput DNA sequencing technologies that can sequence millions of DNA fragments simultaneously.

CRISPR/Cas system

A revolutionary gene editing technology that uses guide RNA to direct Cas nucleases to specific DNA sequences.

SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism)

A variation in a single nucleotide present in at least 1% of the population, commonly used as genetic markers.