Chapter 14 Flashcards
alternative splicing
a process in genetics in which a single primary transcript can be edited in different ways to yield multiple messenger RNAs, which in turn yield multiple proteins.
anticodon
the end of the transfer RNA molecule that can bind with a particular codon on the mRNA transcript
codon
an mRNA triplet has codes for a single amino acid or a start or a stop command in the translation stage of a protein synthesis
genetic code
the inventory of linkages between nucleotide triplets and the amino acids they code for. With few exceptions, the genetic code is unisal in living things
human genome
the 3.2 billion base pairs of DNA that make up the full complement of DNA found in the nucleus of each human cell
messenger RNA (mRNA)
a type of RNA that encodes, and carries to ribosomes, information for the synthesis of proteins
polypeptide
a series of amino acids linked in linear fashion. Polypeptide chains fold up to become proteins.
ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
a type of RNA that, along with proteins, forms ribosomes
ribosome
an organelle, located in the cell’s cytoplasm, that is the site of protein synthesis. The translation phase of protein synthesis takes place within ribosomes
RNA polymerase
in the transcription phase of protein synthesis, the enzyme that unwinds the DNA double helix and puts together a chain of RNA nucleotides complementary to the exposed DNA nucleotides
transcription
in protein synthesis, the process in which DNA’s information is copied onto messenger RNA (mRNA)
transfer RNA (tRNA)
in protein synthesis, a form of RNA that binds with amino acids, transfers them to ribosomes, and then bins with a messenger RNA sequence
translation
the process in which a polypeptide chain is produced within a ribsome based on the information encoded in messenger RNA. This process, the second major stage in protein synthesis (after transcription), occurs in the cell’s cytoplasm
