Studied by 1 person
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid: a molecule in cells that contains the genetic instructions for an organisms development and function
RNA
A nuclei acid that carries genetic information copied from DNA.
mRNA
A single stranded molecule that carries genetic instructions from DNA in the nucleus to the cytoplasm where proteins are made
tRNA
A type of RNA molecule that helps decode a messenger RNA sequence into a protein
rRNA
A non coding RNA that forms the structural framework of ribosomes
Nitrogen base
A molecule that contains nitrogen and has the chemical properties of a base
epistasis
the description of how gene interactions can impact phenotypes or how one gene’s expression can be modified by another
RNA polymerase
a complex enzyme that transcribes DNA into RNA
RNA primer
a short, single-stranded RNA segment that acts as a starting point for DNA synthesis.
primase
an enzyme involved in the replication of DNA and is a type of RNA polymerase. Primase catalyzes the synthesis of a RNA primer
helicase
an enzyme that unwinds the double-stranded DNA molecule by breaking the hydrogen bonds between base pairs
operator
regulatory DNA elements that control transcription initiation. A segment of DNA where the repressor binds to preventing the transcription of certain genes
pyrimidine
pyrimidines (cytosine and thymine) are one-carbon nitrogen ring bases.
purine
Purines (adenine and guanine) are two-carbon nitrogen ring bases
intron
noncoding DNA sequences within genes that are removed before the RNA molecule is translated into a protein.
exon
the coding portions of DNA or RNA
splicing
a biological process where a newly synthesized pre-mRNA is transformed into a mature mRNA. It occurs during protein synthesis and involves the removal of non-coding sequences and then joining the coding regions
ligase
an enzyme that can catalyze the joining (ligation) of two molecules by forming a new chemical bond
leading strand
a strand of DNA that replicates continuously without stopping
lagging strand
a strand of DNA that replicates discontinuously, stopping and then starting again.
telomeres
structures made from DNA sequences and proteins found at the ends of chromosomes
telomerase
a enzyme that adds nucleotides to telomeres, especially in cancer cells
3’ to 5’
the number of carbon atoms in a DNA sugar molecule
5’ to 3’
the bases in the DNA which are only read and synthesized 5’ to 3’
hydrogen bond
a polar bond between hydrogen and another electronegative atom
ozakai fragments
small sections of DNA that are formed during discontinuous synthesis of the lagging strand during DNA replication
nucleic acid
an organic substance whose molecules consist of many nucleotides linked in a long chain.
active site
the region of an enzyme where substrate molecules bind and undergo a chemical reaction.
transcription
the process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA for the purpose of gene expression.
TATA box
a DNA sequence that indicates where a genetic sequence can be read and decoded. It is a type of promoter sequence.
template strand
the strand that is used during transcription to produce RNA.
codon
a DNA or mRNA sequence of three nucleotides that forms a unit encoding a particular amino acid or signaling the termination of protein synthesis held in the coding strand.
anticodon
a sequence of three nucleotides in transfer RNA that binds to a corresponding codon and designates a specific amino acid, held in the template strand
coding strand
the DNA strand whose base sequence is similar to its primary transcript (RNA)
start codon
the initial set of codons in an mRNA transcript that is translated by a ribosome. In eukaryotes, the most common start codon is AUG
stop codon
a sequence of three nucleotides in DNA or mRNA that signals a stop to protein synthesis in the cell.
nucleotide
the basic building block of nucleic a. It consists of a sugar molecule, either ribose or deoxyribo, attached to a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing base.
5 carbon sugar
5 carbon sugars, aka pentose, are types of carbohydrates that contain five carbon atoms in their molecular structure. These sugars play a crucial role in forming nucleotides
phosphate
A form of phosphoric acid, which contains phosphorus
histones
a protein that provides structural support for a chromosome
semiconservative replication
process in which two copies of the original DNA molecule are produced, each copy replicating the information from one half of the original DNA molecule
a Y-shaped region where the parent DNA double helix splits into two strands to be copied
mutation
Any change in the DNA sequence of a cell
point mutation
a genetic alteration that occurs when a single base pair in an organism's DNA or RNA sequence is changed, deleted, or inserted
frame shift mutation
a genetic mutation that occurs when bases are inserted or deleted from a DNA sequence in a number that isn't three
transformation
a process in which foreign DNA is introduced into bacterial cells, resulting in the acquisition of new genetic traits.
transformation experiment
an experiment preformed by Frederick Griffith in 1928, which was the first experiment suggesting that bacteria are capable of transferring genetic information through a process known as transformation.
capsid
the protein shell of a virus, enclosing its genetic material.
viral envelope
a lipid bilayer membrane that surrounds the capsid of some viruses, protecting their genetic material as they travel between host cells
bacteriophage
viruses that infect and replicate within bacteria and archaea
lytic phase
the virus introduces its genome into a host cell and initiates replication by hijacking the host's cellular machinery to make new copies of the virus.
lysogenic phase
viruses sneak into the host's DNA, stay hidden, and wait. Later, they become active, make copies, and infect other cells.
names of people involved in DNA
james watson, Francis crick, Rosalind Franklin, Erwin Chargaff, Maurice Wilkins, Hershey and Chase
watson and crick
discovered the DNA double helix
Rosalind franklin
discovered the structure of DNA
erwin chargaff
discovered that in DNA the ratios of adenine to thymine and guanine to cytosine are equal.
maurice wilkins
also helped discover the double helix in dna
hershey and chase
helped confirm that DNA is genetic material
