Gene Expression unit 3

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms related to gene expression processes in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Transcription

The process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA.

RNA Processing

The modification of RNA before it is translated into a protein, including splicing, capping, and polyadenylation.

Gene Product

The final product of gene expression, which can be either a protein or an RNA molecule.

Promoter

A DNA sequence that initiates transcription of a particular gene.

Coding Region

The part of a gene that contains the sequence of codons that will be translated into protein.

Terminator

A sequence in the DNA that signals the end of transcription.

5' UTR

The region of an mRNA that is upstream from the coding sequence and is not translated.

Introns

Non-coding regions of a gene that are removed during RNA processing.

Exons

Coding regions of a gene that are retained and expressed in the final mRNA.

Spliceosome

A complex that catalyzes the removal of introns from pre-mRNA during splicing.

Poly-A Tail

A sequence of adenine nucleotides added to the 3' end of an mRNA transcript.

Translation

The process of converting the sequence of an mRNA molecule into a sequence of amino acids to form a protein.

Anticodon

A three-nucleotide sequence in tRNA that is complementary to a codon in mRNA.

Initiation Factors

Proteins that assist with the initiation of transcription or translation.

Alternative Splicing

A process by which different combinations of exons are joined together to produce different mRNA molecules from the same gene.

Polysomes

Clusters of ribosomes translating the same mRNA simultaneously, increasing gene expression.