chapter 2 vocab Flashcards
complementary
nitrogenous bases that pair together (A+U/T, G+C)
monomer
a molecule that binds to others of the same, forming polymers
nucleotide
monomer of nucleic acids made of a sugar, phosphate group and nitrogenous base
phosphodiester bond
the bond between nucleotides
polymer
a molecule made up of many repeating units called monomers
amino acid
the monomers of polypeptide chains and proteins, made of an amine group, a carboxyl, a central carbon and hydrogen and a variable R group
anticodon
the opposite of a codon which codes for a single amino acid
codon
three nucleotides coding for one amino acid
degenerate
the code where multiple combinations of bases code for the same amino acid
enzyme
a protein that acts as a biological catalyst, speeding up chemical reactions by lowering activation energy
exon
a region of a gene that contains genetic information that codes for the protein to be synthesized
gene expression
the conversion of genetic code from DNA to a protein, which involves transcription, processing and translation.
genome
the complete set of an organism’s DNA
intron
a non-coding region
mutation
permenant change of a nucleotide sequence in a section of DNA
peptide bond
the bond between two amino acids, a condensation reaction. creates a dipeptide
polypeptide
a chain of amino acids joined by peptide bonds
promotor
the region of the gene where the RNA polymerase binds, beginning transcription
terminator
region of the gene where transcription stops, RNA polymerase disconnects from DNA
transcription
the process by which DNA is converted into mRNA (messenger RNA)
translation
the process by which mRNA is translated into a sequence of amino acids which make up a protein
universal triplet code
genetic coding system based on codons with three bases, shared by most organisms
biomacromolecule
a large biological polymer, eg protein, carbohydrate
condensation reaction
the formation of a larger molecule from smaller molecules in a chemical reaction, which leads to a loss of water
proteome
the complete collection of an organism’s proteins at a given time
coding region
introns and exons transcribed into pre-mRNA
operator
section of a DNA code where a repressor can bind
operon
a series of genes under the control of a single promotor and operator
regulatory gene
region of DNA coding for a regulatory protein
repressor
regulatory protein that binds to DNA inhibiting transcription
structural gene
section of DNA that codes for a protein with a specific function for the cell or organism
