Chapter 5.5 Flashcards
gene
A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses).
nucleic acid
A polymer (polynucleotide) consisting of many nucleotide monomers; serves as a blueprint for proteins and, through the actions of proteins, for all cellular activities. The two types are DNA and RNA.
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
A double-stranded, helical nucleic acid molecule consisting of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T); capable of replicating and determining the inherited structure of a cell’s proteins.
ribonucleic acid (RNA)
A type of nucleic acid consisting of nucleotide monomers with a ribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and uracil (U); usually single-stranded; functions in protein synthesis, gene regulation, and as the genome of some viruses.
polynucleotide
A polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers in a chain; nucleotides can be those of DNA or RNA.
nucleotide
The building block of a nucleic acid, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.
purine
One of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides, characterized by a six-membered ring fused to a five-membered ring.
pyrimidine
One of two types of nitrogenous bases found in nucleotides, characterized by a six-membered ring.
ribose
The sugar component of RNA nucleotides.
deoxyribose
The sugar component of DNA nucleotides, having one fewer hydroxyl group than ribose, the sugar component of RNA nucleotides.
double helix
The form of native DNA, referring to its two adjacent antiparallel polynucleotide strands wound around an imaginary axis into a spiral shape.
antiparallel
The opposite arrangement of the sugar-phosphate backbones in a DNA double helix.
2 purines
Adenine (A) and guanine (G).
3 pyrimidines
Cytosine (C), thymine (T), and uracil (U).
