DNA/RNA Terms
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32 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Virus | (virology) ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts |
| Bacteriophage | a virus that is parasitic in bacteria |
| DNA | (biochemistry) a long linear polymer found in the nucleus of a cell and formed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix |
| Nucleotides | Basic units of DNA molecule, composed of a sugar, a phosphate, and one of 4 DNA bases |
| Nitrogenous base | an organic base that contains nitrogen, such as a purine or pyrimidine; a subunit of a nucleotide in DNA and RNA |
| Pyrimidines | nitrogenous bases that have a single ring of carbon and nitrogen atoms, such as cytosine and thymine |
| Purines | nitrogeneous bases that have a double ring of carbon and nitrogen atoms such as adenine and guanine |
| Double helix | a pair of parallel helices intertwined about a common axis |
| DNA replication | the process of making a copy of DNA |
| DNA Helicase | an enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix during DNA replication |
| RNA | (biochemistry) a long linear polymer of nucleotides found in the nucleus but mainly in the cytoplasm of a cell where it is associated with microsomes |
| Transcription | (genetics) the organic process whereby the DNA sequence in a gene is copied into mRNA |
| Translation | (genetics) the process whereby genetic information coded in messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm |
| Codon | a specific sequence of three adjacent bases on a strand of DNA or RNA that provides genetic code information for a particular amino acid |
| RNA Polymerase | enzyme similar to DNA polymerase that binds to DNA and separates the DNA strands during transcription |
| Introns | sequence of DNA that is not involved in coding for a protein |
| Exons | expressed sequence of DNA; codes for a protein |
| RNA splicing | process by which the introns are removed from RNA transcripts and the remaining exons are joined together |
| Transfer RNA | short-chain RNA molecules present in the cell (in at least 20 varieties, each variety capable of combining with a specific amino acid) that attach the correct amino acid to the protein chain that is being synthesized at the ribosome of the cell (according |
| Anticodon | group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to an mRNA codon |
| Ribosomal RNA | The most abundant type of RNA, which together with proteins, forms the structure of ribosomes. Ribosomes coordinate the sequential coupling of tRNA molecules to mRNA codons. |
| Mutagens | A chemical or physical agent that interacts with DNA and causes a mutation. |
| Transformation | (genetics) modification of a cell or bacterium by the uptake and incorporation of exogenous DNA |
| Base-pairing | principle that bonds in DNA can form only between adenine and thymine and between guanine and cytosine |
| Chromatin | the readily stainable substance of a cell nucleus consisting of DNA and RNA and various proteins |
| Histones | protein molecules around which DNA is tightly coiled in chromatin |
| Nucleosomes | bead-like structures formed by histones and DNA |
| Promoters | Region of DNA that indicates to an enzyme where to bind to make RNA |
| Mutations | Random errors in gene replication that lead to a change in the sequence of nucleotides; the source of all genetic diversity |
| Point mutations | gene mutations involving changes in one or a few nucleotides |
| Frameshift mutations | mutation that shifts the "reading" frame of the genetic message by inserting or deleting a nucleotide |
| Differentiation | (biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function |
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