Comprehensive DNA Vocab - CORE Acc. Biology 9

combined deck from the many units about DNA we had

mutation

change in the DNA sequence

point mutation

mutation that involves a substitution of only one nucleotide

silent mutation

a mutation that does not change the amino acid coded for

missense mutation

a mutation that changes the amino acid coded for

nonsense mutation

a mutation that changes the amino acid coded for into a stop codon

frameshift mutation

mutation that involves the insertion or deletion of a nucleotide in the DNA sequence

promoter

section of DNA to which RNA polymerase attaches, indicating the starting point of the transcription to produce mRNA

exon

segment of a gene that codes for information for a protein

intron

segment of a gene that does not code for an amino acid

central dogma

theory that states that genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to proteins

RNA

nucleic acid molecule that allows for the transmission of genetic information and protein synthesis

transcription

process of copying a nucleotide sequence of DNA to form a complementary strand of mRNA

RNA polymerase

enzyme that helps the formation of a complementary strand of RNA from a DNA template

messenger RNA (mRNA)

form of RNA that carries genetic information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, where it serves as a template for protein synthesis (formation)

ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

RNA that is in the ribosome and guides the translation of mRNA into a protein

transfer RNA (tRNA)

form of RNA that brings amino acids to ribosomes during protein synthesis

gene

specific region of DNA that codes for a particular protein

translation

process by which mRNA is decoded and a protein is produced

codon

sequence of three nucleotides that codes for one amino acid

start codon

codon that signals to ribosomes to begin translation; codes for the first amino acid in a protein

stop codon

codon that signals to ribosomes to stop translation

anticodon

set of three nucleotides in a tRNA molecule that binds to a complementary mRNA codon during translation

amino acid

molecule that makes up proteins; composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sometimes sulfur

polypeptide

a chain of amino acids that are linked together by peptide bonds, which then fold and combine with other chains to make a protein

nucleotide

monomer of the nucleic acid DNA; made up of a phosphate group, a sugar, and a nitrogen-containing base

deoxyribose sugar

a 5-carbon sugar ring that is a structural part of DNA nucleotides

phosphate group

a chemical group made up of a phosphorous atom covalently bonded to four oxygen atoms; this group is a structural part of DNA nucleotides

nitrogenous base

a molecule that contains carbon-nitrogen ring structure(s); this molecule is a structural part of DNA nucleotides

double helix

model that compares the structure of a DNA molecule, in which two strands wind around one another, to that of a twisted ladder

base pairing rules

rule that describes how nucleotides form bonds in DNA; adenine (A) always bonds with thymine (T), and guanine (G) always bonds with cytosine (C)

purine

a type of nitrogen base that has two carbon-nitrogen rings fused together

pyrimidine

a type of nitrogen base that has one carbon-nitrogen ring

replication

process by which DNA molecules are copied

DNA polymerase

enzyme that makes bonds between nucleotides, forming an identical strand of DNA during replications by pairing nucleotides with a template DNA strand

helicase

enzyme that separates double-stranded DNA by disrupting the hydrogen bonds between complementary bases during replication

primase

enzyme that creates short nucleic acid primers that provide a starting point for DNA polymerase to begin DNA replication

ligase

enzyme that joins together discontinuous fragments of DNA into a single continuous strand during replication

antiparallel

the arrangement of the two strands in a DNA molecule where they run in opposite directions

semiconservative

the process of DNA replication where each newly formed DNA molecule contains one strand from the original DNA molecule and one new strand, "conserving" half of the original DNA in each new copy