DNA

Question 1

Nucleic Acid

Answer 1

the macromolecule that holds our genetic material (DNA)

Question 2

Nucleotide

Answer 2

make up nucleic acids (the monomer) and have three parts: sugar, phosphate, and nitrogen base

Question 3

Chromosome

Answer 3

tightly coiled strands of DNA

Question 4

Genes

Answer 4

sections of DNA that serve as the blueprint/instructions for making proteins and is located at certain points on a chromosome

Question 5

Codon

Answer 5

a set of 3 nucleotides on the mRNA

Question 6

Anticodon

Answer 6

“complementary” 3 nucleotide on tRNA

Question 7

Amino acid

Answer 7

a set of 20 different molecules used to build proteins

Question 8

Sugar-phosphate backbone

Answer 8

an important structural component of DNA that consists of 5-carbon deoxyribose sugars and phosphate groups; formed by sugar and phosphate

Question 9

Base pairing rule

Answer 9

purine adenine (A) always pairs with pyrimidine thymine (T); pyrimidine cytosine (C) always pairs with purine guanine (G); RNA has uracil so A binds with U, and C still with G

Question 10

3’end

Answer 10

deoxyribose sugar is always the 3’ end

Question 11

5’ end

Answer 11

phosphate end is always the 5’ end = (think: “fa” sound)

Question 12

RNA Polymerase

Answer 12

binds to the DNA promoter where transcription is to begin and unzips the gene that needs to be copied; uses complementary base-pairing rules to match RNA nucleotides with the exposed DNA nucleotide

Question 13

Helicase

Answer 13

enzymes that bind and may even remodel nucleic acid protein complexes; Double helix: like a twisted ladder