DNA & Protein Synthesis Vocabulary Flashcards
DNA
Definition:
A molecule that encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses.
Example:
DNA is responsible for our inherited traits.
Double Helix
Definition:
A pair of parallel helices intertwined about a common axis.
Example:
DNA is in the shape of a double helix.
Gene
Definition:
A unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
Example:
Our genes come from our parents.
Chromosome
Definition:
A threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes.
Example:
Every person is made up of 46 chromosomes.
Trait
Definition:
A genetically determined characteristic.
Example:
Everyone has different traits.
Genetic Code
Definition:
The nucleotide triplets of DNA and RNA molecules that carry genetic information in living cells.
Example:
The genetic code can be expressed as either RNA codons or DNA codons.
Nucleotide
Definition:
A compound consisting of a nucleoside linked to a phosphate group.
Example:
An example of a nucleotide is Adenine.
Sugar
Definition:
Any of the class of soluble, crystalline, typically sweet-tasting carbohydrates found in living tissues.
Example:
We put sugar on our food to make it taste sweet.
Phosphate
Definition:
An ester of phosphoric acid.
Example:
Phosphate is an inorganic chemical.
Base
Definition:
Substances that accept protons from acids.
Example:
Thymine is an example of a base.
Adenine
Definition:
A compound that is one of the four constituent bases of nucleic acids.
Example:
Adenine is paired with Thymine.
Thymine
Definition:
One of the four nucleobases in the nucleic acid of DNA.
Example:
Thymine is part of the pyrimidine family.
Guanine
Definition:
One of the four nucleotide bases of genetic code.
Example:
Guanine is part of the Purine family.
Cytosine
Definition:
A compound found in living tissue as a constituent base of nucleic acids.
Example:
Cytosine is paired with Guanine.
Uracil
Definition:
A compound found in living tissue as a constituent base of RNA.
Example:
Uracil takes the place of Thymine in RNA.
Complementary Base Pairs
Definition:
Either of the nucleotide bases linked by a hydrogen bond on opposite strands of DNA or double-stranded RNA.
Example:
The complementary base pairs of DNA are Adenine-Thymine and Guanine-Cytosine.
Complementary Strands
Definition:
A section of one nucleic acid chain that is bonded to another by a sequence of base pairs.
Example:
DNA has complementary strands.
Hydrogen Bond
Definition:
A chemical bond in which a hydrogen atom of one molecule is attracted to an electronegative atom.
Example:
A hydrogen is a weak type of bond.
Deoxyribose
Definition:
A sugar derived from ribose by replacing a hydroxyl group with hydrogen.
Example:
Deoxyribose is a monosaccharide.
DNA Polmerase
Definition:
An enzyme that creates DNA molecules by assembling nucleotides.
Example:
DNA Polymerase duplicates our genetic information.
DNA Replication
Definition:
The process of producing two identical replicas from one original DNA molecule.
Example:
During DNA replication, both strands of the double helix act as templates for the formation of new DNA molecules.
Semiconservative
Definition:
Relating to or denoting replication of a nucleic acid in which one complete strand of each double helix is directly derived from the parent molecule.
Example:
The semi-conservative model of DNA replication states that the two strands of DNA are separated and individually copied.
Replication Fork
Definition:
The point at which the two strands of DNA are separated to allow replication of each strand.
Example:
The replication fork is y-shaped.
Helicase
Definition:
A class of enzymes vital to all living organisms whose main function is to unpackage an organism’s genes.
Example:
Helicase unzips both DNA and RNA.
Amino Acid
Definition:
Biologically important organic compounds composed of amine and carboxylic acid functional groups.
Example:
Amino acids bond together to make long chains.
Protein
Definition:
Any of a class of nitrogenous organic compounds that consist of large molecules composed of one or more long chains of amino acids.
Example:
Protein plays a vital role in the body, like building and maintaining muscles, organs and other tissue.
Polypeptide
Definition:
A linear organic polymer consisting of a large number of amino-acid residues bonded together in a chain, forming part of (or all of) a protein molecule.
Example:
Proteins are made up of one or more polypeptide molecules.
Peptide Bond
Definition:
A peptide bond is a chemical bond formed between two molecules when the carboxyl group of one molecule reacts with the amino group of the other molecule.
Example:
A polypeptide bond usually occurs between amino acids.
Protein Synthesis
Definition:
The process by which individual cells construct proteins.
Example:
Protein synthesis is the process by which individual cells construct proteins.
Gene Expression
Definition:
The process by which genetic instructions are used to make gene products.
Example:
Information from a gene is synthesized during gene expression.
RNA
Definition:
One of the three major biological macromolecules that are essential for all known forms of life.
Example:
RNA is single-stranged.
Transfer RNA
Definition:
A type of RNA molecule that helps decode a messenger RNA sequence into a protein.
Example:
Transfer RNA is made of nucleotides, like all RNA.
Messenger RNA
Definition:
RNA molecules that convey genetic information from DNA to the ribosome.
Example:
Codons are on mRNA.
Ribosomal RNA
Definition:
A molecule in cells that forms part of the protein-synthesizing organelle known as a ribosome.
Example:
Ribosomal RNA is synthesized in the nucleolus.
RNA Polymerase
Definition:
An enzyme that produces RNA.
Example:
RNA Polymerase reads DNA and then produces RNA.
Transcription
Definition:
The process by which genetic information represented by a sequence of DNA nucleotides is copied into newly synthesized molecules of RNA.
Example:
Transcription ends with proteins.
Translation
Definition:
The process by which a sequence of nucleotide triplets in a messenger RNA molecule gives rise to a specific sequence of amino acids during synthesis of a polypeptide or protein.
Example:
During translation, an mRNA sequence is read using the genetic code.
Codon
Definition:
A sequence of three nucleotides that together form a unit of genetic code in a DNA or RNA molecule.
Example:
Every codon codes for a specific amino acid.
Start/Stop Codon
Definition:
The start codon marks the site at which translation into protein sequence begins, and the stop codon marks the site at which translation ends.
Example:
Start codons are at the beginning and stop codons are at the end.
Terminator
Definition:
A sequence of polynucleotides that causes transcription to end and the newly synthesized nucleic acid to be released from the template molecule.
Example:
A terminator terminates the sequence.
Ribosome
Definition:
A minute particle consisting of RNA and associated proteins.
Example:
Ribosomes are found in the cytoplasm.
Anticodon
Defintion:
A sequence of three nucleotides forming a unit of genetic code in a transfer RNA molecule.
Example:
Anticodons correspond to a complementray codon in mRNA.
Central Dogma
Definition:
The two-step process, transcription and translation, by which the information in genes flows into proteins.
Example:
The Central Dogma goes: DNA to RNA to Proteins.
Point Mutation
Definition:
A mutation affecting only one or very few nucleotides in a gene sequence.
Example:
Point Mutations are small.
Substitution Mutation
Definition:
A type of mutation where one base pair is replaced by a different base pair.
Example:
Substitution Mutation can cause an entire protein to change.
Deletion Mutation
Definition:
A mutation in which a part of a chromosome or a sequence of DNA is missing.
Example:
When Deletion Mutation occurs, large pieces of a chromosome can be missing.
Insertion Mutation
Definition:
The addition of one or more nucleotide base pairs into a DNA sequence.
Example:
Insertion Mutation will cause a protein to change, since there are extra nucleotides.
Chromosomal Mutation
Definition:
A missing, extra, or irregular portion of chromosomal DNA.
Example:
There are multiple types of Chromosomal Mutations.
Large Scale Mutation
Definition:
A mutation that occurs on a grander scale than other mutations.
Example:
Large scale mutations have more effects on the chromosome.
Inversion Mutation
Definition:
A mutation where an entire section of DNA is reversed.
Example:
An Inversion Mutation will most likely cause a drastic change in a strand of DNA.
Translocation Mutation
Definition:
Chromosome mutations in which chromosome segments, and the genes they contain, change positions.
Example:
Translocation Mutation is basically like a swap between segments.
Silent Mutation
Definition:
DNA mutations that do not significantly alter the phenotype of the organism in which they occur.
Example:
A Silent Mutation’s name is self-explanatory, it is silent and it does not affect anything.
Missense Mutation
Definition:
Change of a single base pair causes the substitution of a different amino acid in the resulting protein.
Example:
Even if only one letter is changed, an entirely different amino acid may be used, like in a Missense Mutation.
Nonsense Mutation
Definition:
When a codon that corresponds to one of the twenty amino acids specified by the genetic code is changed to a chain-terminating codon.
Example:
A Nonsense Mutation ends in a Stop codon.
Frameshift Mutation
Definition:
A genetic mutation caused by insertions or deletions of a number of nucleotides in a DNA sequence that is not divisible by three.
Example:
Frameshift Mutations have a more dramatic effect on the polypeptide than missense or nonsense mutations.
Splicing
Definition:
Cutting out part of the DNA in a gene and adding new DNA in its place.
Example:
Splicing takes place in the nucleus.
Spliceosome
Definition:
A large and complex molecular machine found primarily within the splicing speckles of the cell nucleus of eukaryotic cells.
Example:
Splicing requires a Spliceosome.
Intron
Definition:
A segment of a DNA or RNA molecule that does not code for proteins and interrupts the sequence of genes.
Example:
Introns are removed by Splicing.
Exon
Definition:
A segment of a DNA or RNA molecule containing information coding for a protein or peptide sequence.
Example:
Exons are part of DNA that are converted into mature messenger RNA.
HIV
Definition:
A virus that causes an immunodeficiency syndrome condition in humans that causes progressive failure of the immune system and allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive.
Example:
Someone infected with the HIV virus can live without symptoms for many years.
Retrovirus
Definition:
Any of a group of RNA viruses that insert a DNA copy of their genome into the host cell in order to replicate.
Example:
An example of a Retrovirus is HIV.
Reverse Transcription
Definition:
The reverse of normal transcription, occurring in some RNA viruses, in which a sequence of nucleotides is copied from an RNA template during the synthesis of a molecule of DNA.
Example:
Reverse transcription occurs in HIV.
Reverse Transcriptase
Definition:
An enzyme that catalyzes the formation of DNA from an RNA template in reverse transcription.
Example:
Reverse transcriptase is also called RNA-directed DNA polymerase.
Integrase
Definition:
An enzyme produced by a retrovirus that enables its genetic material to be integrated into the DNA of the infected cell.
Example:
HIV cannot replicate without Integrase.
Proteosome
Definition:
A protein complex in cells containing proteases that breaks down proteins that have been tagged by ubiquitin.
Example:
Proteosomes are located in the nucleus and the cytoplasm.
Gene Regulation
Definition:
The process of turning genes on and off.
Example:
Gene regulation ensures that the appropriate genes are expressed at the proper times.
Postive Regulation
Definition:
A type of regulation where an activator interacts with the RNA polymerase in the promoter region to initiate transcription.
Example:
In positive regulation, a transcription factor is required to bind at the promoter in order to enable RNA polymerase to initiate transcription.
Negative Regulation
Definition:
A type of regulation where a repressor molecule binds to the operator of an operon and terminates transcription.
Example:
Negative regulation prevents a gene from being expressed.
Promoter/Regulatory Region
Definition:
The region of the DNA that regulates the transcription of the gene.
Example:
A gene consists of a transcriptional region and a regulatory region.
Transcribed Region
Definition:
Where RNA polymerase attaches and initiates transcription.
Example:
Transcription occurs in the transcribed region.
Activator Protein
Definition:
A protein that increases gene transcription of a gene or set of genes.
Example:
Most activators are DNA-binding proteins that bind to enhancers or promoter-proximal elements.
Repressor Protein
Definition:
A DNA- or RNA-binding protein that inhibits the expression of one or more genes by binding to the operator or associated silencers.
Example:
Repressor proteins prevents transcription of the genes into messenger RNA.
Transcription Factor
Definition:
Proteins involved in the process of converting, or transcribing, DNA into RNA.
Example:
Transcription factors include a wide number of proteins, excluding RNA polymerase, that initiate and regulate the transcription of genes.
