Molecular Biology - DNA and RNA Processes

These flashcards cover key concepts of molecular biology, focusing on DNA and RNA, their structures, functions, and the processes of replication, transcription, and translation.

Molecular Biology

A branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity, focusing on the interactions between the various systems of a cell.

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid; a molecule that contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of living organisms.

RNA

Ribonucleic acid; a molecule essential in various biological roles, including coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes.

Central Dogma

The framework describing the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein.

Semi-conservative replication

A method of DNA replication in which each of the two new DNA molecules retains one of the original strands.

Transformation

The process by which genetic material is transferred from one organism to another, often resulting in a change in phenotype.

Avery-MacLeod-McCarty Experiment

An experiment that demonstrated that DNA is the material that carries genetic information, showing DNA's role in transformation.

Hershey and Chase Experiment

An experiment using bacteriophages that confirmed DNA as the genetic material by showing that only DNA from the virus entered the bacterial cells.

Transcription

The process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA, where RNA polymerase synthesizes RNA from the DNA template.

Translation

The process by which the sequence of bases in mRNA is converted into the corresponding sequence of amino acids in a protein.

Codons

Sequences of three nucleotides in mRNA that encode a specific amino acid or a stop signal during protein synthesis.

One gene-one enzyme hypothesis

The theory suggesting that each gene encodes the information to produce a single enzyme, and thus a specific protein.

Polymerization

The process through which monomers (nucleotides) are joined to form polymers (DNA or RNA chains) via phosphodiester bonds.

Exons and Introns

Exons are sequences in RNA that are translated into protein, while introns are non-coding sequences that are removed during RNA processing.

Ribosome

A complex of rRNA and protein that facilitates the translation of mRNA into polypeptides.

Amino acid

The building blocks of proteins, which are specified by codons in mRNA.

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

A type of RNA that carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where protein synthesis occurs.

Transfer RNA (tRNA)

A type of RNA that transfers amino acids to the ribosome during protein synthesis, matching them to the coded mRNA message.

Ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs)

Small nuclear ribonucleoproteins that play a key role in the splicing of RNA.

Okazaki fragments

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

DNA polymerase

An enzyme that synthesizes DNA molecules from deoxyribonucleotides, the building blocks of DNA.