3B Vocabulary Flashcards
Amino Acid
An organic molecule containing a carboxyl group and an amino group; serves as the monomer of proteins
Denaturation
A process in which a protein unravels, losing its specific structure and hence function; can be caused by changes in pH or salt concentration by high temperature a measure of an atom’s ability to attract shared electrons to itself
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
A double stranded helical nucleic acid molecule consisting of nucleotide monomers with deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T). Capable of replicating, DNA is an organism’s genetic material. See also gene
Double helix
The form of native DNA, referring to its two adjacent polynucleotide strands inter wound into a spiral shape
Gene
A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA in some viruses). Most of the genes of a eukaryote located in its chromosomal DNA; a few are carried by the DNA of mitochondria and chloroplasts
Nucleic Acid
A polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers; serves as a blueprint for proteins and, through the actions of proteins, for all cellular structures and activities. The two types of nucleic acids are DNA and RNA
Nucleotide
A building block of nucleic acids, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded into a nitrogenous base and one or more phosphate groups
Peptide bond
The covalent bond between two amino acid units in a polypeptide, formed by a dehydration reaction
Polypeptide
A polymer of amino acids linked by peptide bonds
Protein
A functional biological molecule consisting of one or more polypeptides folded into a specific three- dimensional stucture
Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)
A type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers… usually single stranded; functions in protein synthesis, gene regulation, and as the genome of some viruses
