Biology 111: Introduction to Biochemistry and Genetic Mutation

A set of flashcards covering key concepts from the biology lecture on biochemistry, macromolecules, nucleic acids, and mutations.

Carbon

The element that can make 4 covalent bonds, an essential building block of life.

Macromolecules

Large organic molecules made of monomer subunits, crucial for the structure and function of organisms.

Monomer

The basic building block of a macromolecule.

Nucleic Acids

Biomolecules that are composed of nucleotides and include DNA and RNA.

Base Pair (BP)

A pair of complementary bases in a DNA molecule.

Codon

A sequence of three base pairs that codes for one amino acid.

Transcription

The process of creating an mRNA copy from a DNA template.

Mutation

A change in the nucleotide sequence of an organism's DNA.

Point Mutation

A change in a single nucleotide pair of a gene.

Silent Mutation

A nucleotide pair substitution that does not affect the phenotype.

Missense Mutation

A mutation that results in a codon that codes for a different amino acid.

Nonsense Mutation

A mutation that changes an amino acid codon to one of the three stop codons.

Frameshift Mutation

Occurs when one or two nucleotides are inserted or deleted from a gene.