DNA & RNA Flashcards
what is your metabolism?
the chemical reactions in the body’s cells that change food into energy
(all the biochemical reactions that take place within the organism to allow life to be sustained)
what are the two basic processes of metabolism?
catabolism and anabolism
what is catabolism?
breaking down compounds into smaller units
what is anabolism?
building up molecules from smaller units
what is an enzyme?
a type of protein that is responsible for a chemical reaction
what is a substrate?
a molecule that physically binds w a specific enzyme
what is a product?
the substrate after it has already been altered by the enzyme
process of metabolic pathway?
enzymes, substrates, and other substances work together to form chains of chemical reactions.
substrate -> enzyme -> product
what is transport?
mechanisms and structures exist within the cell to transport the protein to its appropriate location
what is storage?
many cells have storage units for certain molecules called vesicles
what are amino acids?
molecules that combine to form proteins
( end in -ine)
what are amino acids made from?
- other more basic compounds
- proteins and enzymes within a cell can be broken down into amino acids
what is a polypeptide chain?
series of amino acid physically linked together
what is a protein?
A molecule made up of amino acids.
(polypeptide chains physically joined together taking on a 3D shape)
what is a gene?
sequence of DNA that contains the blueprint for the manufacture of a polypeptide chain
what is a locus?
the gene’s specific address on a chromosome
what is involved in protein synthesis?
transcription and translation
what is transcription?
the process by which a cell makes an RNA copy of a piece of DNA. This RNA copy, called messenger RNA (mRNA), carries the genetic information needed to make proteins in a cell.
what is translation?
the process by which a cell makes proteins using the genetic information carried in messenger RNA (mRNA). The mRNA is made by copying DNA, and the information it carries tells the cell how to link amino acids together to form proteins.
what is the difference between transcription and translation?
The process by which DNA is copied to RNA is called transcription, and that by which RNA is used to produce proteins is called translation.
what are axons? (transcription)
where electrical impulses from the neuron travel away to be received by other neurons.
(blueprint for amino acid sequence)
what are introns? (transcription)
sections of mRNA are cut, or ‘spliced,’ out before the mRNA gets translated into a protein
what is gene splicing?
when introns are cut from the mRNA leaving only start/stop markers and exons
what are exons? (transcription)
the place on a strand of DNA that codes for proteins and amino acids
what is an anticodon? (translation)
series of three nucleotides that act as an amino acid (found on tRNA)
what is a nucleotide?
one of the structural components, or building blocks, of DNA and RNA. A nucleotide consists of a base (one of four chemicals: adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine)
ex: A T C G
what is a ribosome?
the place in a cell where proteins are assembled
what is DNA held together by?
hydrogen bonds
DNA is made of these three parts?
nitrogenous base, sugar, phosphate
codons are made from?
mRNA
anticodons are made from?
tRNA
what is the “central dogma” of biology?
translation
the DNA molecule, histones, and protein scaffold are called?
chromatin
what is the epigenetic effect?
the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work.
- ex: dutch hunger winter
what are promoters?
this is a section of DNA that regulates the expression of genes and occurs upstream from coding regions.
