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VCE Biology - Edrolo - Units 3 & 4 > Chapter 2 - Nucleic Acids and Proteins > Flashcards

Chapter 2 - Nucleic Acids and Proteins Flashcards

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1
Q

protein

A

a biomacromolecule made of amino acid chains folded into a 3D shape

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2
Q

polypeptide

A

a long chain of amino acids. Proteins can be made of one or many polypeptides

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3
Q

proteome

A

all the proteins that are
expressed by a cell or organism at a given time

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4
Q

enzyme

A

an organic molecule,
typically a protein, that catalyses (speeds up) specific reactions

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5
Q

peptide hormone

A

a protein signalling molecule that regulates
physiology or behaviour

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6
Q

antibody

A

a protein produced by
plasma cells during the adaptive immune response that is specific to an antigen and combats pathogens in a variety of ways. Also known as immunoglobulin

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7
Q

carboxyl group

A

the functional group on amino acid molecules that contains a hydroxyl group
(OH) and an oxygen
double-bonded to a carbon atom

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8
Q

amino group

A

the functional group on amino acid molecules that is made up of one nitrogen and two hydrogens (NH2)

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9
Q

R-group

A

the variable portion of an amino acid molecule. It can
be one of twenty variations and determines the identity of the amino acid

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10
Q

hydrophobic

A

having a tendency to repel and be insoluble in water

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11
Q

hydrophilic

A

having a tendency to be attracted to and dissolve in water

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12
Q

monomer

A

a molecule that is the smallest building block of a polymer

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13
Q

polymer

A

a large molecule that is made up of small, repeated monomer subunits

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14
Q

condensation reaction

A

a reaction where two monomers join to form a larger molecule, producing water as a by-product

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15
Q

peptide bond

A

the chemical bond linking two amino acids

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16
Q

primary structure

A

the first level of protein structure, which refers to the sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain

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17
Q

secondary structure

A

the level of protein structure where the amino acid chain forms either alpha-helices, beta-pleated sheets, or random coils

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18
Q

tertiary structure

A

the functional 3D shape of a polypeptide chain

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19
Q

quaternary structure

A

the level of protein structure where multiple polypeptide chains bond together, or other non-protein groups are added to form a fully functional protein

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20
Q

alpha helix

A

an organised coiled secondary structure of proteins

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21
Q

beta-pleated sheet

A

an organised folded secondary structure of proteins

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22
Q

disulphide bond

A

a strong covalent bond occurring between two sulphur atoms

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22
Q

random coil

A

an irregular secondary structure of proteins that is neither an alpha helix nor a beta-pleated sheet

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23
Q

prosthetic group

A

a non-protein group bound to a protein. For example, a vitamin or ion

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24
Q

nucleic acid

A

the class of macromolecule that includes DNA and RNA. All nucleic acids are polymers made out of nucleotide monomers

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25
Q

polymer

A

a large molecule that is made up of small, repeated monomer subunits

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26
Q

nucleotide

A

the monomer subunit of nucleic acids. Made up of a nitrogen-containing base, a five-carbon sugar molecule (ribose in RNA and deoxyribose in DNA), and a phosphate group

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27
Q

monomer

A

a molecule that is the smallest building block of a polymer

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28
Q

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

A

a double-stranded nucleic acid chain made up of nucleotides. DNA carries the instructions for proteins which are required for cell and organism survival

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29
Q

RNA (ribonucleic acid)

A

a singlestranded nucleic acid chain made up of nucleotides. Includes mRNA, rRNA, and tRNA

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30
Q

phosphodiester bond

A

a strong covalent bond linking a five-carbon sugar to a phosphate group

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31
Q

condensation reaction

A

a reaction where two monomers join to form a larger molecule, producing water as a by-product

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32
Q

sugar-phosphate backbone

A

a strong covalently linked chain of five-carbon sugar molecules and phosphate groups in a nucleic acid chain

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33
Q

chromosome

A

a structure made of protein and nucleic acids that carries genetic information

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34
Q

gene

A

a section of DNA that carries the code to make a protein

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35
Q

genome

A

the complete set of DNA housed within an organism

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36
Q

antiparallel

A

a characteristic of DNA strands describing how each strand runs in an opposite direction to the other. One strand runs in a 3’  5’ direction and the other runs in a 5’  3’ direction

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37
Q

complementary base pairing 

A

describes which nucleotides can form hydrogen bonds with each other. C pairs with G, A pairs with T (or U in RNA)

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38
Q

double helix

A

the structure of double-stranded DNA in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells, where each DNA strand wraps around a central axis

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39
Q

nuclear DNA

A

DNA that is located in the nucleus of a cell

40
Q

messenger RNA (mRNA)

A

RNA molecules that are produced during transcription and carry genetic information from the nucleus to the ribosomes

41
Q

transfer RNA (tRNA) 

A

RNA that recognises specific
codons on the mRNA strand and adds the corresponding amino acid to the polypeptide chain during protein synthesis

42
Q

ribosomal RNA (rRNA)

A

RNA that is a key structural component of ribosomes, which assemble proteins

43
Q

transcription

A

the process whereby a sequence of DNA is used as a template to produce a complementary sequence of mRNA

44
Q

translation

A

the process where an mRNA sequence is read to produce a corresponding amino acid sequence to build a polypeptide

45
Q

genetic code

A

the set of rules by which information is encoded in genetic material

46
Q

triplet

A

the sequence of three nucleotides in DNA coding for one amino acid

47
Q

codon

A

the sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA coding for one amino acid

48
Q

start codon

A

the sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that signals the start of translation

49
Q

stop codon

A

the sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that signals the end of translation

50
Q

promoter

A

the sequence of DNA to which RNA polymerase binds

51
Q

RNA polymerase

A

the enzyme responsible for constructing a pre-mRNA sequence from a DNA sequence during transcription

52
Q

enzyme

A

an organic molecule, typically a protein, that catalyses (speeds up) specific reactions

53
Q

TATA box

A

a type of promoter region

54
Q

introns

A

non-coding regions of DNA that do not code for proteins. They are spliced out during RNA processing

55
Q

exons

A

regions of DNA that code for proteins and are not spliced out during RNA processing

56
Q

termination sequence

A

a sequence of DNA that signals the end of transcription

57
Q

operator

A

a short region of DNA that interacts with repressor proteins to alter the transcription of an operon

58
Q

repressor protein

A

a protein coded for by a regulatory gene that prevents gene expression by binding to its operator

59
Q

gene expression

A

the process of reading the information stored within a gene to create a functional product, typically a protein

60
Q

leader region

A

the segment of DNA or mRNA that immediately precedes the coding region. Also known as the leader segment or leader sequence

61
Q

precursor messenger RNA
(pre-mRNA)

A

the immediate product of transcription of a DNA sequence. Requires modifications before it can undergo translation

62
Q

transcription factor

A

proteins that bind to the promoter region and control the functioning of RNA polymerase

63
Q

template strand

A

the strand of DNA transcribed by RNA polymerase to produce a complementary pre-mRNA strand

64
Q

coding strand

A

the strand of DNA not transcribed by RNA polymerase, contains an identical sequence to the mRNA strand produced (except thymine is replaced with uracil in mRNA)

65
Q

ribosome

A

an organelle made of rRNA and protein that is the site of protein synthesis. Can be free in the cytosol or attached to the rough endoplasmic reticulum

66
Q

5’ methyl-G cap

A

a molecule added to the 5’ end of pre-mRNA during RNA processing

67
Q

3’ poly-A tail

A

a chain of adenine nucleotides added to the 3’ end of pre-mRNA during RNA processing

68
Q

splicing

A

process where introns are cut out of a pre-mRNA molecule, and exons are joined together

69
Q

spliceosome

A

the enzyme that removes introns from the premRNA molecule and joins exons together during RNA processing

70
Q

alternative splicing

A

the process where different exons may be spliced, resulting in a single gene producing multiple different mRNA strands

71
Q

anticodon

A

the sequence of three nucleotides on a tRNA molecule that recognises a specific sequence of three nucleotides (codon) on an mRNA strand

72
Q

peptide bond

A

the chemical bond linking two amino acids

73
Q

condensation reaction

A

a reaction where two monomers join to form a larger molecule, producing water as a by-product

74
Q

exocytosis

A

a type of bulk transport that moves large substances out of a cell

75
Q

gene regulation

A

the control of gene expression, typically achieved by switching transcription on or off

76
Q

structural gene

A

a segment of DNA that doesn’t code for regulatory proteins, but instead codes for proteins that play a role in the structure or function of a cell or organism

77
Q

regulatory gene

A

a segment of DNA responsible for producing proteins that control the expression of other genes

78
Q

repressor protein

A

a protein coded for by a regulatory gene that prevents gene expression by binding to its operator

79
Q

activator protein

A

a protein coded for by a regulatory gene that increases gene expression

80
Q

promoter

A

the sequence of DNA to which RNA polymerase binds

81
Q

operator

A

a short region of DNA that interacts with repressor proteins to alter the transcription of an operon

82
Q

operon

A

a cluster of linked genes that all share a common promoter and operator and are transcribed at the same time

83
Q

trp operon

A

a series of genes within certain species of bacteria that encode for the production of the amino acid tryptophan

84
Q

trp operon repression

A

mechanism for gene regulation within the trp operon whereby repressor proteins stop the initiation of transcription when tryptophan levels are high

85
Q

conformational change

A

a change in the three-dimensional shape of macromolecules such as proteins

86
Q

trp operon attenuation

A

mechanism for gene regulation within the trp operon whereby the premature ceasing of translation stops transcription when tryptophan levels are high

87
Q

attenuator sequence

A

part of the leader region within the trp operon that allows for attenuation

88
Q

terminator hairpin

A

a loop formed in mRNA in the presence of tryptophan that ceases transcription of the trp operon

89
Q

antiterminator hairpin

A

a loop formed in mRNA when tryptophan is not present that ensures the transcription of the structural genes in the trp operon

90
Q

vesicle

A

a small fluid-filled organelle enclosed in a phospholipid membrane that transports substances around the cell

91
Q

bulk transport

A

a type of active transport that uses vesicles to move large molecules or groups of molecules into or out of the cell

92
Q

active transport

A

the movement of molecules across a semipermeable membrane requiring an energy input

93
Q

secretory products

A

the substances inside a vesicle that are being transported out of the cell

94
Q

plasma membrane

A

the phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins which separates the intracellular environment from the extracellular environment

95
Q

rough endoplasmic reticulum (RER)

A

a membranous organelle shaped like a series of connected, flattened cylinders that folds and transports proteins via its attached ribosomes

96
Q

Golgi apparatus

A

an organelle made of flattened sacs of membrane involved in modifying, sorting, and packaging proteins. Also known as the Golgi body or Golgi complex

97
Q

mitochondrion (pl. mitochondria)

A

a double-membrane-bound
organelle that is the site of the second and third stages of aerobic cellular respiration

VCE Biology - Edrolo - Units 3 & 4 (11 decks)

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