2B- The Genetic Code and Gene Expression Flashcards
Define “Gene Expression”
Gene expression is the conversion of the code in DNA of a gene into a protein through protein synthesis.
Define “Transcription”
Transcription is the process through
which DNA is converted to messenger RNA (mRNA) and the genetic code in the DNA is copied to the mRNA.
Define “Enzyme”
An Enzyme is a type of protein, also referred to as a biological catalyst, that speeds up reactions within an organism by lowering activation energy.
Define “Promoter”
A Promoter is the region of a gene to which RNA polymerase binds, to initiate transcription.
Define “Terminator”
A Terminator is the region of a gene at which transcription stops and the RNA polymerase dissociates from the strand.
Define “Intron”
An Intron is a region of a gene that contains sequences that do not code for the protein to be expressed.
Define “Exon”
An Exon is a region of a gene that contains genetic information that codes for the specific protein to be synthesised.
Define “Translation”
Translation is the process through which the information in mRNA is converted into a sequence of amino acids to synthesise a protein.
Define “Codon”
A Codon is a set of three bases in mRNA that code for a specific amino acid.
Define “Anticodon”
An Anticodon is a set of three bases on
tRNA that are complementary to codons in mRNA.
Define “Amino Acid”
An Amino acid is the monomer that forms polypeptide chains and proteins.
Define “Universal Triplet Code”
The Universal Triplet Code is the genetic coding system based on codons with three bases, shared by most organisms.
Define “Degenerate”
Degenerate describes a genetic code in which multiple codons code for the same amino acid; also referred to as redundant.
Define “Mutation”
A Mutation is a permanent change in the nucleotide sequence of a section of DNA.
