Studied by 1 person
Based on the 3rd edition biology textbook written by C.J. Clegg, Andrew Davis, Christopher Talbot
nucleotide
phosphate ester of a nucleoside - an organic base combined with pentose sugar and phosphate
cytosine
a pyrimidine nitrogenous base found in nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) that pairs with guanine
guanine
a purine nitrogenous base found in nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) that pairs with cytosine
adenine
a purine nitrogenous base found in the coenzymes ATP, NADP, and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) that pairs with thymine
thymine
a pyrimidine nitrogenous base found in DNA that pairs with adenine
pentose
a 5-carbon monosaccaride sugar
condensation
formation of larger molecules involving the removal of water from smaller component molecules
purine
one of two types of chemical compounds used to make nucleotides building of DNA and RNA
ex: adenine and guanine
pyrimidine
one of two types of chemical compounds used to make nucleotides building of DNA and RNA
ex: thymine and cytosine in DNA
ex: uracil and cytosine in RNA
polynucleotide
a long, unbranched chain of nucleotides found in DNA and RNA
genetic code
sequence that dictates the order in which specific amino acids are assembled and combined to synthesize a protein; code lies in the DNA
codon
three consecutive bases in DNA or RNA which specify an amino acid
polymer
large organic molecules made up of repeating subunits (monomers)
uracil
a pyrimidine nitrogenous base found in RNA that pairs with adenine
messenger RNA (mRNA)
single-stranded ribonucleic acid formed by the process of transcription of the genetic code in the nucleus, which then moves to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm
transfer RNA (tRNA)
short lengths of RNA that combine with specific amino acids prior to protein synthesis
ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
molecule that forms part of the protein-synthesizing organelle also known as a ribosome
phosphodiester bond
the linkage between the 3’ carbon atom of one sugar molecule and the 5’ carbon atom of another nucleic acid
double helix
two interlocking helices joined by hydrogen bonds between the pairs of purine-pyrimidine bases (A pairs with T and G with C)
gene
heritable factor that consists of a length of DNA that codes for a protein
chromosome
length of DNA that carries specific genes in a linear sequence
locus
the particular position of a gene on homologous chromosomes
allele
different versions of the same gene
homologous chromosomes
pairs of chromosomes, one from each parent, that carry the same sequence of genes (but not necessarily the same alleles of those genes)
complementary base pairing
this describes how nitrogenous bases of nucleic acids align with each other in a specific way, complementary bases are held together by hydrogen bonds
genome
the whole of the genetic information of an organism or cell
mutations
a change in the amount or the chemical structure (ex: base sequence) of DNA of a chromosome
nucleosome
a sequence of DNA wound around eight histone protein cores - a repeating unit of eukaryotic chromatin
histone
protein (rich in the amino acids arginine and lysine) that forms the scaffolding of chromosomes and is used in chromosome condensation to form nucleosomes
non-histone chromosomal protein
proteins that remain in the chromatin once histone proteins have been removed; they play a key role in the regulation of gene expression
bacteriophage
a virus that parasitises bacteria (also known as a phage)
falsification
a process used by scientists in which a hypothesis is tested by trying to show that it is false; where a hypothesis cannot be shown false after repeated experiments conducted by different groups of scientists, it is considered a strong hypothesis
