Cell Biology and Protein Synthesis Vocabulary

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering cell organelles, the differences between DNA and RNA, and the mechanisms of transcription and translation.

Nucleus

The cellular organelle that serves as the location of the DNA.

Nucleolus

The specific location within the cell where RNA synthesis occurs.

Smooth ER

An organelle involved in various cellular processes; it appears without the presence of granules on its surface.

Ribosomes

The small dots found on the RER or in the cytoplasm that are the site of protein synthesis.

Cytoplasm

The jelly-like material within a cell environment excluding the nucleus.

Thymine

The nitrogenous base found only in DNA, which is replaced by uracil in RNA.

Uracil

The nitrogenous base specific to RNA that pairs with Adenine.

Deoxyribose

The five-carbon sugar found in the structure of DNA.

Ribose

The pentose sugar found in the structure of RNA.

mRNA

Messenger RNA; it relays the recipe or genetic information from the DNA in the nucleus to the ribosome.

tRNA

Transfer RNA; responsible for moving specific amino acids from the cytoplasm to the ribosome.

rRNA

Ribosomal RNA; the type of RNA that, along with proteins, makes up the structure of a ribosome.

Transcription

The process of producing an mRNA strand from a DNA template inside the nucleus.

Helicase

The enzyme responsible for unzipping and unwinding the DNA double helix by breaking hydrogen bonds.

RNA Polymerase

The enzyme that performs complementary base pairing with free-floating nucleotides to create an RNA strand.

Splicing

The process of cutting up the initial RNA transcript into exons and introns.

Exons

The segments of an mRNA transcript that are expressed and exit the nucleus to reach ribosomes.

Introns

The non-coding segments of an mRNA transcript that stay inside the nucleus and are recycled.

Poly A tail

A sequence of adenine nucleotides added to the end of an mRNA strand to protect it from unraveling.

Translation

The process where the genetic code in mRNA is used to assemble a sequence of amino acids into a protein.

Codon

A sequence of three nucleotides on mRNA that codes for a specific amino acid.

Anticodon

A triplet of nucleotides on tRNA that is complementary to a codon on mRNA.

AUG

The specific start codon on mRNA that signals the beginning of the amino acid sequence.

Stop Codons

Genetic sequences ($UGA$, $UAA$, and $UAG$) that signal the termination of protein synthesis.

Methionine

The first amino acid in a polypeptide chain, brought to the ribosome by the tRNA matching the $AUG$ start codon.

Initiation

The first stage of translation where the mRNA, ribosome, and the first tRNA assemble.

Elongation

The second stage of translation where the amino acid chain grows longer as the ribosome reads the mRNA sequence.

Termination

The final stage of translation triggered by a stop codon, resulting in the release of the completed polypeptide.

Peptide bonds

The chemical bonds formed between amino acids during the elongation phase of translation.