DNA Replication

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to DNA replication.

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid, the hereditary material in humans and almost all other organisms.

Antiparallel

The strands of DNA run in opposite directions, one 5' to 3' and the other 3' to 5'.

Hydrogen Bonds

The attractive force between two atoms or groups of atoms that are held together by a covalent bond and a hydrogen atom.

A-T Base Pair

Adenine (A) pairs with Thymine (T) using two hydrogen bonds.

G-C Base Pair

Guanine (G) pairs with Cytosine (C) using three hydrogen bonds.

Purines

Nitrogenous bases with a double-ring structure; adenine (A) and guanine (G).

Pyrimidines

Nitrogenous bases with a single-ring structure; thymine (T) and cytosine (C).

Nucleotides

Building blocks of DNA, consisting of a deoxyribose sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base.

Semiconservative Replication

Each new DNA molecule consists of one original (parental) strand and one newly synthesized (daughter) strand.

Replication Fork

The point where DNA strands are separated to allow replication of each strand.

DNA Helicase

Enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix at the replication fork.

Topoisomerase

Enzyme that relieves strain ahead of the replication fork by breaking, swiveling, and rejoining DNA strands.

SSBP (Single-Stranded Binding Proteins)

Proteins that stabilize single-stranded DNA during replication, preventing the strands from re-annealing.

Replication Origin

Specific sequence on a DNA molecule where replication begins.

Primase

Enzyme that synthesizes a short RNA primer to initiate DNA replication.

RNA Primer

A short strand of RNA that serves as a starting point for DNA synthesis.

DNA Polymerase

Enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of new DNA strands using a template and a primer.

Leading Strand

The DNA strand that is continuously synthesized in the 5' to 3' direction during replication.

DNA is followed by the _ step

transcription

Transcription is followed by_

RNA

RNA is then _ into protein

translated

initiation

RNA attaches to promoter and binds with RNA polymerase(transcription factors)

elongation

DNA is transcribed and binds to RNA polymerase, the polymer untwists and builds pair sof nucleotides to form a TEMPLATE RNA strand.

termination

RNA polymerase and new RNA transcript dissasociate from the DNA

transcription

making a copy

translation

synthesizing a specific polypeptide on a ribosome(mRNA base is TRANSLATED into an amino acid sequence of a polypeptide