 | 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 |
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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 between guanine and cytosine |
| |
chromatin |
granular material visible within 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 individual nucleotides to produce a DNA molecule |
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gene |
sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait |
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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 ribosomes |
| |
transfer RNA (tRNA) |
type of RNA molecule that transfers amino acids to ribosomes during protein synthesistranscription |
| |
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 of DNA that is not involved in coding for a protein |
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exon |
expressed sequence of DNA; codes for a protein |
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codon |
three-nucleotide sequence on messenger RNA that codes for a single amino acid |
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translation |
decoding of a mRNA message into a polypeptide chain |
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anticodon |
group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to an mRNA codon |
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mutation |
change in a DNA sequence that affects genetic information |
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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 repressor binds when the operon is “turned off” |
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differentiation |
process in which cells become specialized in structure and function |
| |
hox genes |
series of genes that controls the differentiation of cells and tissues in an embryo |
| Add or remove terms from this set |
