| Term | Definition |
|---|
| transformation | process in which one strain of bacteria is changed by a gene or genes from another strain of bacteria |
| bacteriophage | virus that infects bacteria |
| nucleotide | monomer of nucleic acids made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base |
| base pairing | principle that bonds in DNA can form only between adenine and thymine and betwen guanine and cytosine |
| chromatin | granular material visible withing the nucleus; consists of DNA tightly coiled around proteins |
| histone | protein molecule around which DNA is tightly coiled in chromatin |
| replication | copying process by which a cell duplicates its DNA |
| DNA polymerase | enzyme involved in DNA replication that joins indicidual nucleotides to produce a DNA molecule |
| gene | sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait |
| messenger RNA (mRNA) | RNA molecule that carries copies of instructions for the assembly of amino acids into proteins from DNA to the rest of the cell |
| ribosomal RNA (rRNA) | type of RNA that makes up the major part of ribosome |
| transfer RNA (tRNA) | type of RNA molecule that transfers amino acids to ribosomes during protein synthesis |
| transcription | process in which part of the nucleotide sequence of DNA is copied into a complementary sequence in RNA |
| RNA polymerase | enzyme similar to DNA polymerase that binds to DNA and separates the DNA strands during transcription |
| promoter | region of DNA that indicates to an enzyme where to bind to make RNA |
| intron | sequence og DNA that is not involved in coding for a protein |
| exon | expressed sequence of DNA ; codes for a protein |
| codon | three-nucleotide sequence on messenger RNA that codes for a single amino acid |
| translation | decoding of a mRNA message into a polypeptide chain |
| anticodon | group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary ro an mRNA codon |
| mutation | change in a DNA sequence that affects genetic information |
| point mutation | gene mutation involving changes in one or a few nucleotides |
| frameshift mutation | mutation that shifts the "reading" frame of the genetic message by inserting or deleting a nucleotide |
| polyploidy | condition in which an organism has extra sets of chromosomes |
| operon | group of genes operating together |
| operator | region of chromosome in an operon to which the reperssor binds when the operon is "turned off" |
| differentiation | process in which molecule tend to move from an area where they are more concentrated to an area where they are less concentrated |
| hox gene | series of genes that controls the differentiation of cells and tissues in an embryo |
Combine with other sets
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