Leading & Lagging Strand DNA Synthesis in E. coli

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to DNA synthesis, gene structure, and function as presented in the lecture on DNA replication and repair mechanisms.

Leading Strand

The DNA strand that is synthesized continuously in the direction of the replication fork.

Lagging Strand

The DNA strand that is synthesized discontinuously in short segments, called Okazaki fragments.

Proofreading

The process by which DNA polymerase checks and corrects its own mistakes during DNA synthesis.

Mismatch Repair

A special mechanism that corrects mistakes made by DNA polymerase by removing and replacing erroneous DNA segments.

Nucleotide Excision Repair

A DNA repair system that removes damaged DNA and fills in the correct sequence, involving nuclease, DNA polymerase, and DNA ligase.

Thymine Dimer

A distortion in DNA structure caused by UV light, resulting in covalent bonding between adjacent thymine bases.

Gene

A distinct sequence of nucleotides in DNA that determines the order of monomers in a polypeptide or nucleic acid molecule.

Allele

Different forms of a gene that can exist at a particular locus on a chromosome.

Phenotype

The observable characteristics of an organism determined by its genotype.

Transcription

The process of synthesizing messenger RNA (mRNA) from a DNA template.

Translation

The synthesis of a protein based on the sequence of codons in mRNA, occurring in the ribosome.