1.3 Flashcards
What is RNA?
Single stranded, composed of nucleotides containing ribose sugar, phosphate, and one of the bases: cytosine, guanine, adenine, and uracil.
What does mRNA stand for?
Messenger RNA
What is the role of mRNA?
Carries a copy of the DNA code from the nucleus to the ribosome.
What is the role of tRNA?
Transfers specific amino acids to the ribosome.
What is the function of ribosomal RNA?
Forms part of the ribosome structure along with proteins.
What is a codon?
A triplet of bases on the mRNA molecule that codes for a specific amino acid.
Define transcription.
The process where RNA polymerase synthesizes mRNA from DNA.
What does RNA polymerase do during transcription?
Moves along DNA, unwinding the double helix and breaking hydrogen bonds between bases.
What is RNA splicing?
The process of removing introns and joining exons to form the mature mRNA transcript.
What are exons?
Coding regions of the primary mRNA transcript.
What are introns?
Non-coding regions of the primary mRNA transcript.
What is alternative RNA splicing?
The process where different mature mRNA transcripts are produced from the same primary transcript.
What initiates translation?
A start codon.
What terminates translation?
A stop codon.
How do anticodons bond to codons?
By complementary base pairing.
What joins amino acids together during translation?
Peptide bonds.
What is the structure of proteins primarily determined by?
The variety of shapes formed by interactions between individual amino acids.
Fill in the blank: Each tRNA molecule has an anticodon at one end and an _______ at the opposite end.
amino acid attachment site
True or False: The order of exons can change during RNA splicing.
False
