Nucleic Acid (Biomolecules) Flashcards
What is nucleic acid?
Large biomolecules that play essential roles in cells and viruses (DNA and RNA)
What is genetic code?
The instructions contained in a gene that tell a cell how to make a specific protein
What is DNA?
The genetic material for all living organisms (a nucleic acid)
What is RNA?
A polymer of nucleotides
What are nucleotides?
Organic molecules composed of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar and a phosphate.
What is a nitrogenous base?
A carbon ring structure found in DNA or RNA that contains one or more atoms of nitrogen
Name the 3 pyrimidines (nitrogenous bases)
Cytosine, Thymine, and Uracil
Name the two purines (nitrogenous bases)
Adenine and Guanine
How are polynucleotides formed?
When nucleotides combine to form a nucleic acid, or a polynucleotide
What’s a codon?
Three nitrogenous bases bonded together
- One codon encodes to one amino acid
What is mRNA?
The messenger RNA
-formed through transcription
What is tRNA?
The transfer RNA
What is rRNA?
Ribosomal RNA
What is a phosphodiester bond?
The covalent linkage between the phosphate and hydroxyl (OH) group of a nucleotide (3’-5’ bond)
What is a gene?
One’s genetic material
- a piece of DNA that encodes for a protein
What is an allele?
Different versions of the same gene
What is a chromosome?
Length of DNA that carries specific genes in a linear sequence
What does locus mean in biological terms?
A term used to tell where on a chromosome a specific gene is
What is a homologous chromosome?
Pairs of chromosomes, one from each parent that carry the same regions of DNA
Can homologous chromosomes carry different alleles?
Yes
What is the genome?
The entire genetic information of an organism or cell
What happens in genetic mutations?
Changes to the DNA can occur and get passed down through generations
What happens in conserved sequences?
The DNA makes few to no changes over generations
What is a nucleosome?
A section of DNA that is wrapped around a core of proteins
What is a histone?
A protein that provides structural support for a chromosome
What are non-histone chromosomal proteins?
Those proteins which remain after the histones have been removed
What is a bacteriophage?
Viruses that infect and replicate only in bacterial cells
