DNA, DNA!, DNA Terms

Created Originally: Ashley_Atkins9

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.