Unit 6- Genetic, Biotech, and Decision-making

DNA

A nucleic acid containing nucleotides with a phosphate group, deoxyribose sugar, and nitrogenous bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine) paired based on charges and lengths.

Semiconservative

DNA replication in eukaryotic cells where each DNA strand separates to become a template for two new complementary strands.

Polymerase

Enzyme that joins nucleotides during DNA replication and proofreads the newly synthesized strands for accuracy.

Telomeres

Repeated DNA sequences at the tip of eukaryotic chromosomes added by the enzyme telomerase during replication.

RNA

Single-stranded nucleotide molecule crucial for protein synthesis, composed of adenine, cytosine, guanine, and uracil.

Transcription

Process where RNA polymerase assembles complementary mRNA nucleotides by binding to specific base sequences in DNA promoter regions.

Translation

Process where ribosomes attach to mRNA, tRNA molecules bind to mRNA codons carrying amino acids, forming peptide bonds.

Mutation

Changes in genetic information, including gene mutations (substitution, insertion, deletion) and chromosomal mutations (deletion, duplication, inversion, translocation).

Anticodon

Three-nucleotide sequence in tRNA complementary to mRNA codons during protein synthesis.

Codon

Three-letter RNA sequence coding for amino acids, read by all organisms, with most amino acids specified by more than one codon.