Molecular Basis of Inheritance

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and definitions related to the molecular basis of inheritance, as described in the lecture notes.

DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that carries genetic information.

RNA

Ribonucleic acid, a molecule that plays a role in coding, decoding, regulation, and expression of genes.

Replication

The process of copying DNA to produce two identical DNA molecules.

Chargaff's Rule

The observation that the amount of adenine equals the amount of thymine, and the amount of cytosine equals the amount of guanine in DNA.

Okazaki Fragments

Short segments of DNA that are synthesized discontinuously on the lagging strand during DNA replication.

Helicase

An enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix during replication.

Telomeres

Structures at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes that protect them from degradation.

DNA Polymerase

An enzyme that synthesizes new DNA strands by adding nucleotides.

Semi-conservative replication

The model of DNA replication in which each new DNA molecule consists of one old strand and one new strand.

Avery-MacLeod-McCarty Experiment

A study that demonstrated that DNA is the genetic material.

Mismatched Repair

The process of correcting errors that occur during DNA replication.

Meselson and Stahl Experiment

An experiment that provided evidence for semi-conservative DNA replication using isotopes of nitrogen.

Primase

An enzyme that synthesizes a short RNA primer to initiate DNA replication.

Phage T2

A type of bacteriophage that infects Escherichia coli and was used in experiments to determine that DNA is genetic material.

Transcription

The process of converting DNA into RNA.

Replication Fork

The area where the DNA double helix is unwound and new strands are synthesized.

Topoisomerase

An enzyme that alleviates strain in DNA ahead of the replication fork.