Topic 1: DNA: The code of life Flashcards
Nucleic acid
An organic compound that contains the elements C, H, O, N and P. A polynucleotide such as DNA and RNA
Eukaryotic cell
A cell that has a membrane-bound nucleus and organelles
Gene
A specific part of a strand of DNA that codes for a particular characteristic
Chromatin network
The form in which chromosomes are found in the nucleus of an eukaryotic cell that is not dividing. The chromatin network consists of a mass of long, tangled threads of DNA
Extranuclear DNA
DNA that is found outside the nucleus
Complementary bases
Nucleotide bases that are able to be joined by hydrogen bonds and therefore hold the double-stranded nucleic acid together
Double helix
The structure that is formed when two strands are twisted around a central axis
Non-coding DNA
DNA that does not code for the production of proteins
DNA sequencing
The process that is used to work out the base sequence of a segment of DNA
Evidence
Information that is used to test whether something might be true
DNA profiling
Te procedure used to identify individual organisms based on the unique sequence of nucleotides in each person’s DNA
Forensic
Used in a court of law and/or with regard to solving a crime
Mitosis
Cell division that occurs in a cell to produce two identical cells
DNA replication
The process during which DNA makes identical copies of itself under the control of enzyme DNA polymerase
Cell cycle
The series of events that occur in a cell from the time it is produced to the time it has divided into new identical cells
Enzyme
A protein that speeds up chemical reactions inside or outside a cell.
Template
Any molecule that acts as a pattern for the making of a new molecule
Semi-conservative replication
Each new DNA molecule formed contains one polynucleotide strand from the original molecule and one newly made polynucleotide strand
Transcription
The production, in the nucleus, of mRNA using a gene as a template
Translation
The process during which the genetic information encoded in mRNA is translated into the sequence of amino acids in a protein
RNA polymerase
The enzyme that is responsible for making mRNA from a DNA template
non-coding DNA
DNA that does not contain a code for making proteins
Codon
A triplet of bases on apiece of mRNA that codes for a particular amino acid
Anticodon
A triplet of bases on a tRNA that is capable of base pairing with a triplet of complementary nucleotides on an mRNA
Peptide bond
A bond that joins two amino acids
Polyribosome
A group of ribosomes associated with a single mRNA during the translation stage of protein synthesis
