Definitions Flashcards
mRNA
The messenger RNA, it’s a copy of DNA that leaves the nucleus, and it’s role is to produce a copy of the genetic sequence of bases on the template strand of DNA to make a protein.
tRNA
The transfer RNA brings the amino acid to the ribosome during translation. Its job is to match its anticodons to the correct codons on the mRNA. After it adds the correct amino acid to the growing polypeptide chain.
rRNA
Part of the ribosome, or protein builders of the cell. The ribosome structure is to read the mRNA using tRNA adding the correct amino acids until it reaches a stop codon.
triplets
a sequence of 3 nucleotides that determines 1 amino acid
Codon
3 bases on the mRNA strand
Anit-codon
3 bases on the tRNA moleules
Redundancy
The genetic code has redundancy due to the fact that 2 or more codons can code for the same amino acid.
Transcription
The process where DNA becomes mRNA
Translation
The process where mRNA becomes a polypeptide chain.
Metabolic pathway
is a set of reactions within a cell that turns one substance into another.
Enzymes
Enzymes are proteins / biological catalysts that control and speed up the steps in metabolic pathways by making the substrate for the next reaction in the series meaning each enzyme codes for a specific gene.
swap/substitution mutation
When a single nucleotide is changed/swapped making it harder to read.
Environmental factor
An internal or external factor that affects the organism’s phenotype, but dose not effect the organism’s genotype.
Mutagen
A physical or chemical factor that causes/increases the change of changes to the base sequence and therefore the genotype of an organism.
frameshift mutation
is the insertion or deletion of nucleotide bases. This includes deletion, addition, and repeat.
