DNA
Deoxyribonucleic Acid; A nucleic acid found in the nucleus of all living cells, which carries the organism's hereditary information.
chromosomes
rod-shaped cellular structure made of condensed chromatin; contains DNA, which carries the genetic information that controls inherited characteristics such as eye color and blood type.
nucleotide
monomer of nucleic acids made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base
double helix
Shape of a DNA molecule formed when two twisted DNA strands are coiled into a springlike structure and held together by hydrogen bonds between the bases
Adenine
nitrogenous base "A"; connects to thymine in DNA and connects to uracil in RNA
Thymine
nitrogenous base "T"; connects to adenine in DNA
sugar
The molecule that is bonded between the phosphate and the base in the DNA double helix
phosphate
The part of the nucleotide subunit that forms the sides or "rails" of the DNA double helix ladder
Cytosine
nitrogenous base "C" connects with guanine
Guanine
nitrogenous base "G"; connects to cytosine
base
Adenine, Thymine, Guanine, and Cytosine are known as these in DNA
Genome
the complete instructions for making an organism, consisting of all the genetic material in that organism's chromosomes
hydrogen bond
bond that connects the base pairs
Genes
DNA segments that serve as the key functional units in hereditary transmission.
Histones
protein molecules around which DNA is tightly coiled in chromatin
Trait
A characteristic that an organism can pass on to its offspring through its genes.
RNA
single-stranded nucleic acid that contains the sugar ribose
Uracil
a nitrogen-containing base found in RNA (but not in DNA)
framshift mutations are due to?
insertion or deletion of a base pair
substitiution
Mutation in which a nucleotide base is replaced with another.
Transcription
synthesis of an RNA molecule from a DNA template
Translation
Process by which mRNA is decoded and a protein is produced
Where does transcription occur?
nucleus
Where does translation occur?
ribosome
tRNA
transfer RNA; type of RNA that carries amino acids to the ribosome
mRNA
messenger RNA; type of RNA that carries instructions from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosome
Protein
made of one or more chains of amino acids and that is a principal component of all cells
inversion mutation
A mutation involving a piece of a chromosome that breaks off and reattaches in reverse orientation.
Why does transcription occur?
Organelles for protein synthesis (ribosomes) are found in the cytoplasm. DNA is too large to move out of the nucleus, so a section is copied into RNA.
Why does translation occur?
It is putting together the amino acids to make the proteins
Codon
a sequence of three nucleotides that together form a unit of genetic code in a DNA or RNA molecule.