Jane Doe

RNA

ribonucleic acid - single-strand of nucleotides that contain the bases AGCU

Messenger RNA

type of RNA that carries copies of instruction for the assembly of amino acids into proteins from DNA to the rest of the cell

Ribosomal RNA

type of RNA that combines with proteins to form ribosomes

Transfer RNA

type of RNA that carries each amino acid to ribosome during protein synthesis

Transcription

synthesis of and RNA molecule from a DNA template

RNA Polymerase

enzyme that links together the growing chain of RNA nucleotides during transcription using a DNA strand as a template

Promoter

specific region of a gene where RNA polymerase can bind and begin transcription

Intron

sequence of DNA that is not involved in coding for a protein

Exon

expressed sequence of DNA; codes for a protein

Polypeptide

long chain of amino acids that makes up proteins

Genetic code

collection of codons of mRNA, each of which directs the incorporation of a particular amino acid into a protein during protein synthesis

Codon

group of three nucleotide bases in mRNA that specify a particular amino acid to be incorporated into a protein

Translation

process by which the sequence of bases of an mRNA is converted into the sequence of amino acids of a protein

Anticodon

a group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to the tree bases of a codon on mRNA

Gene expression

process by which a gene produces its product and the product carries out its function

Mutation

change in the genetic material of a cell

Point mutation

gene mutation in which a single base pair in DNA

Frameshift mutation

mutation that shifts the "reading frame" of the genetic

Mutagen

chemical of physical agents in the environment that interact with DNA and may cause a mutation

Polyploidy

condition in which an organism has extra sets of chromosomes

Operon

in prokaryotes, a group of adjacent genes that share a common operator and promoter and transcribed into a single mRNA

Operator

short DNA region, adjacent to the promoter of a prokaryotic operon, that bind repressor proteins responsible for controlling the rate of transcription of the operon

Differentiation

process in which cells become specialized in structure and function

Deletion

type of mutation involving the loss of genetic material

Duplication

type of mutation that involves the production of one or more copies of a gene

Inversion

a chromosome rearrangement in which a segment of a chromosome is reversed end to end

Translocation

a type of chromosomal abnormality in which a chromosome breaks and a portion of it reattaches to a different chromosome

Peptide transferase

An enzyme that catalyzes the formation of a peptide bond between the amino acid attached to the tRNA in the A-site and the polypeptide chain attached to the tRNA in the P-site

Complementary strand

A strand of DNA or RNA that has complementary bases to another strand of DNA or RNA