Nucleic Acids and Protein Synthesis

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and their definitions related to nucleic acids and protein synthesis.

Nucleotide

The monomer from which nucleic acids like DNA and RNA are formed.

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic Acid; it codes for the primary structure of proteins.

RNA

Ribonucleic Acid; it plays essential roles in coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes.

Purines

Nitrogenous bases with a two-carbon ring structure; the purines are adenine and guanine.

Pyrimidines

Nitrogenous bases with a one-carbon ring structure; the pyrimidines are cytosine, thymine, and uracil.

Phosphodiester bond

A strong covalent bond that links the phosphates and sugars in the backbone of nucleic acids.

Complementary base pairing

The principle that adenine pairs with thymine (or uracil in RNA) and guanine pairs with cytosine.

ATP

Adenosine Triphosphate; an immediate source of energy for biological processes.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction involving the breaking of a bond in a molecule using water.

Semi-conservative replication

The process by which DNA is replicated in cells, creating two new DNA molecules, each with one original strand and one new strand.

mRNA

Messenger RNA; a type of RNA that carries the code from DNA to ribosomes for protein synthesis.

Codon

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

Transcription

The process of copying a gene's DNA sequence into mRNA.

Translation

The process where ribosomes create proteins by decoding mRNA.

Mutation

A change in the base sequence of DNA which may result in a different polypeptide.

DNA is made up of smaller units called .

nucleotides.

The process of copying a gene's DNA sequence into is called transcription.

mRNA.

In RNA, adenine pairs with instead of thymine.

uracil.

The strong covalent bonds that link the phosphates and sugars in nucleic acids are called bonds.

phosphodiester.

When DNA is replicated, it is said to follow the method, creating molecules with one original strand and one new strand each.

semi-conservative