DNA & RNA Vocab Flashcards
Chromosome
A threadlike structure within a cell’s nucleus that contains DNA that is passed from one generation to the next.
Double Helix
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Nitrogen Bases
Molecules that contain nitrogen and other elements.
Adenine
a compound that is one of the four constituent bases of nucleic acids. A purine derivative, it is paired with thymine in double-stranded DNA.
Thymine
a compound that is one of the four constituent bases of nucleic acids. A pyrimidine derivative, it is paired with adenine in double-stranded DNA.
Guanine
a compound that occurs in guano and fish scales, and is one of the four constituent bases of nucleic acids. A purine derivative, it is paired with cytosine in double-stranded DNA.
Cytosine
a compound found in living tissue as a constituent base of nucleic acids. It is paired with guanine in double-stranded DNA.
Gene
(in informal use) a unit of heredity that is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.
DNA replication
DNA replication is the process by which a double-stranded DNA molecule is copied to produce two identical DNA molecules. Replication is an essential process because, whenever a cell divides, the two new daughter cells must contain the same genetic information, or DNA, as the parent cell.
RNA
RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), (RDR), or RNA replicase, is an enzyme that catalyzes the replication of RNA from an RNA template. This is in contrast to a typical DNA-dependent RNA polymerase, which catalyzes the transcription of RNA from a DNA template.
Uracild
a compound found in living tissue as a constituent base of RNA. In DNA its place is taken by thymine.
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid; the genetic material that carries information about an organism and is passed from parent to offspring.
