Molecular Genetics Flashcards
Histone
A special protein molecule that is the core around which the DNA strand wraps
Genome
The complete set of an organism’s hereditary information
Transformation
A change in a genotype or phenotype caused by the direct uptake of genetic material by a cell
Bacteriophage
A virus that infects bacteria
Purine
A class of nitrogenous bases with a double-ring structure; adenine and guanine are purines
Pyrimidine
A class of nitrogenous bases with a single-ring structure; thymine and cytosine are pyrimidines
Complementary base pairing
The chemical tendency of adenine to form hydrogen bonds with thymine, and cytosine to form hydrogen bonds with guanine
Semiconservative replication
A mechanism of DNA replication in which each of the two strands of parent DNA is incorporated into a new double-stranded DNA molecule
Replication origin
A specific sequence of DNA that acts as a starting point for replication
Helicase
A replication enzyme that separates and unwinds the DNA strands
Replication fork
The point of separation of the two parent DNA strands during replication
Topoisomerases
A class of enzymes that relieve tension caused by the unwinding of parent DNA; they cleave one or two of the DNA strands, allow the strand(s) to untwist, and then rejoin the strand(s)
Single-strand binding protein (SSB)
A replication enzyme that prevents parent DNA strands from annealing to each other once they have been separated by helicase
Replication bubble
The separating of DNA in both directions during replication
Nucleoside triphosphate
A building block and energy source for replicating DNA
RNA primase
A replication enzyme that produces RNA primers
RNA primer
A replication molecule that acts as a starting point for replication
DNA polymerase III
A prokaryotic replication enzyme that builds new DNA strands from nucleotides
Leading strand
The DNA strand that is copied in the direction toward the replication fork
Lagging strand
The DNA strand that is copied in the direction away from the replication fork
Okazaki fragment
The piece of new DNA on the lagging strand
DNA polymerase I
A prokaryotic replication enzyme that fills in gaps in the lagging strand between Okazaki fragments; also proofreads the final strands
DNA ligase
An enzyme that catalyzes the formation of a phosphodiester bond between two DNA strands, as well as between Okazaki fragments
DNA polymerase II
A prokaryotic replication enzyme that repairs damage to DNA, including damage that occurs between replication events
Nucleosome
A unit of DNA storage, consisting of eight histones with DNA strands wrapped around them; the DNA around each nucleosome is about 147 nucleotides in length
Solenoid
A group of six nucleosomes
Telomere
A repeating sequence of DNA at the end of a chromosome that protects coding regions from being lost during replication
Supercoiling
The continuous twisting of prokaryotic DNA that reduces the volume of the DNA
Cell senescence
The period in a cell’s lifespan when it loses the ability to divide and grow; often referred to as cell aging
Hayflick limit
The total number of times that a normal cell can divide
Telomerase
An enzyme that adds new telomere sequences to the ends of chromosomes
One gene-one enzyme hypothesis
The hypothesis, proposed by Beadle and Tatum, that each gene is unique and codes for the synthesis of a single enzyme