1.3 Nucleic acids as information molecules

nucleotide

basic building blocks or sub-units of DNA and RNA consisting of phosphate group, a base and a five-carbon sugar

deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)

nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide sub-units that contain the sugar deoxyribose and the bases A,C,G and T; DNA forms the major component of chromosomes

ribonucleic acid (RNA)

nucleic acid consisting of a single chain of nucleotide sub-units that contain the sugar ribose and the bases A, U, C and G

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

a form RNA synthesised by the transcription of a DNA template strand in the nucleus; mRNA carries a copy of the genetic information into the cytoplasm

ribosomes

organelles that are major sites of protein production in cells in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes

ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

stable form of RNA found in ribosomes

transfer RNA (tRNA)

form of RNA that can attach to specific amino acids and carry them to a ribosome during translation

anticodon

sequence of three bases in a tRNA molecule that can pair with the complementary codon of a mRNA molecule