BJU Biology 5th edition 6B

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

The double-stranded molecule used by most cells for storing genetic information.

Base pair

The complementary nitrogenous bases that connect the two halves of a DNA molecule.

Replication

The process by which a strand of DNA is copied to produce an identical strand.

Ribonucleic acid (RNA)

The single-stranded genetic information molecule, copied from DNA, whose main function is, in conjunction with ribosomes, to build protein molecules. (See also messenger RNA, ribosomal RNA, and transfer RNA)

Transcription

The process by which a particular segment of DNA is copied into RNA.

Translation

The process in which a ribosome builds a protein on the basis of the sequence of codons in an mRNA molecule.

Anticodon

The set of three bases on a molecule of tRNA that correspond to a complementary codon on an mRNA molecule.

Protein synthesis

The process by which ribosomes build a sequence of linked amino acids, the basic, or primary, structure of a protein.

Codon

A set of three bases in an RNA strand that together code for a specific amino acid.

Replication

The process by which a strand of DNA is copied to produce an identical strand.

Transcription

The process by which a particular segment of DNA is copied into RNA.

Helicase

An enzyme that untwists the double helix

Ligase

An enzyme that connects the fragments of DNA

DNA Polymerase

Enzyme involved in DNA replication that joins individual nucleotides to produce a DNA molecule, corrects any errors in the strand, and replaces the starting DNA primer

RNA Polymerase

enzyme that links together the growing chain of RNA nucleotides during transcription