Unit 3 List 1 DNA & Heredity CMH

Question 1

Adenine

Answer 1

A chemical compound that is used to make one of the building blocks of DNA and RNA.

Question 2

Amino Acid

Answer 2

Amino acids are small molecules that are the building blocks of proteins.

Question 3

Anticoden

Answer 3

a trinucleotide sequence located at one end of a transfer RNA (tRNA) molecule, which is complementary to a corresponding codon in a messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence.

Question 4

cell types

Answer 4

the basic functional units of an organism.

Question 5

cell differentiation

Answer 5

an important process whereby a single cell gradually develops various tissues and organs.

Question 6

chromosome

Answer 6

threadlike structures made of protein and a single molecule of DNA that serve to carry the genomic information from cell to cell.

Question 7

codon

Answer 7

a DNA or RNA sequence of three nucleotides (a trinucleotide) that forms a unit of genomic information encoding a particular amino acid.

Question 8

cytoplasm

Answer 8

the gelatinous liquid that fills the inside of a cell. It is composed of water, salts, and various organic molecules.

Question 9

cytosine

Answer 9

A chemical compound that is used to make one of the building blocks of DNA and RNA. It is a type of pyrimidine.

Question 10

deoxyribose

Answer 10

a pentose (5-carbon sugar) biological molecule. Deoxyribose sugar, along with phosphate, makes up the sugar-phosphate backbone in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Question 11

DNA

Answer 11

the molecule that carries genetic information for the development and functioning of an organism.

Question 12

double helix

Answer 12

a term used to describe the physical structure of DNA.

Question 13

endoplasmic reticulum

Answer 13

a continuous membrane system that forms a series of flattened sacs within the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells.

Question 14

enzyme

Answer 14

is a biological catalyst and is almost always a protein. It speeds up the rate of a specific chemical reaction in the cell.

Question 15

Gene

Answer 15

The basic unit of heredity passed from parent to child.

Question 16

Golgi apparatus

Answer 16

is a cell organelle that helps process and package proteins and lipid molecules, especially proteins destined to be exported from the cell. Named

Question 17

guanine

Answer 17

one of the four nucleotide bases in DNA, with the other three being adenine (A), cytosine (C) and thymine (T). Within a double-stranded DNA molecule, guanine bases on one strand pair with cytosine bases on the opposite strand

Question 18

hydrogen bond

Answer 18

the electromagnetic attraction created between a partially positively charged hydrogen atom attached to a highly electronegative atom and another nearby electronegative atom.

Question 19

mRNA

Answer 19

The role of mRNA is to carry protein information from the DNA in a cell’s nucleus to the cell’s cytoplasm

Question 20

mutation

Answer 20

change in the DNA sequence of an organism. Mutations can result from errors in DNA replication during cell division, exposure to mutagens or a viral infection.

Question 21

nitrogenous base

Answer 21

A molecule that contains nitrogen and has the chemical properties of a base.

Question 22

nuclear membrane

Answer 22

double layer that encloses the cell’s nucleus, where the chromosomes reside. The nuclear membrane serves to separate the chromosomes from the cell’s cytoplasm and other contents

Question 23

nucleic acid

Answer 23

large biomolecules that play essential roles in all cells and viruses. A major function of nucleic acids involves the storage and expression of genomic information.

Question 24

nucleotide

Answer 24

the basic building block of nucleic acids (RNA and DNA). A nucleotide consists of a sugar molecule (either ribose in RNA or deoxyribose in DNA) attached to a phosphate group and a nitrogen-containing base.

Question 25

nucleus

Answer 25

the membrane-enclosed organelle within a cell that contains the chromosomes. An array of holes, or pores, in the nuclear membrane allows for the selective passage of certain molecules (such as proteins and nucleic acids) into and out of the nucleus.

Question 26

peptide bond

Answer 26

a short chain of amino acids (typically 2 to 50) linked by chemical bonds (called peptide bonds).

Question 27

phosphate group

Answer 27

A functional group or radical comprised of phosphorus attached to four oxygen, and with a net negative charge, thus represented as PO4–

Question 28

Polypeptide

Answer 28

A polypeptide is defined as a polymer of amino acids joined together by peptide bonds

Question 29

protein synthesis

Answer 29

is the process of creating protein molecules

Question 30

ribose

Answer 30

five-carbon sugar found in RNA (ribonucleic acid), where it alternates with phosphate groups to form the “backbone” of the RNA

Question 31

ribosome

Answer 31

A ribosome is an intercellular structure made of both RNA and protein, and it is the site of protein synthesis in the cell. The ribosome reads the messenger RNA (mRNA) sequence and translates that genetic code into a specified string of amino acids, which grow into long chains that fold to form proteins

Question 32

RNA

Answer 32

is a nucleic acid present in all living cells that has structural similarities to DNA. Unlike DNA, however, RNA is most often single-stranded. An RNA molecule has a backbone made of alternating phosphate groups and the sugar ribose, rather than the deoxyribose found in DNA

Question 33

rRNA

Answer 33

part of the ribosome, or protein builders, of the cell. Ribosomes are responsible for translation, or the process our cells use to make proteins. rRNA are responsible for reading the order of amino acids and linking amino acids together. They do this through a highly complex sequence.

Question 34

start codon

Answer 34

the position at which protein translation of the mRNA into a peptide commences.

Question 35

Stop Codon

Answer 35

sequence of three nucleotides (a trinucleotide) in DNA or messenger RNA (mRNA) that signals a halt to protein synthesis in the cell. There are 64 different trinucleotide codons: 61 specify amino acids and 3 are stop codons (i.e., UAA, UAG and UGA).

Question 36

Thymine

Answer 36

one of the four nucleotide bases in DNA, with the other three being adenine (A), cytosine (C) and guanine (G). Within a double-stranded DNA molecule, thymine bases on one strand pair with adenine bases on the opposite strand.

Question 37

transcription

Answer 37

the process of making an RNA copy of a gene’s DNA sequence. This copy, called messenger RNA (mRNA), carries the gene’s protein information encoded in DNA.

Question 38

translation

Answer 38

is the process through which information encoded in messenger RNA (mRNA) directs the addition of amino acids during protein synthesis. Translation takes place on ribosomes in the cell cytoplasm, where mRNA is read and translated into the string of amino acid chains that make up the synthesized protein.

Question 39

tRNA

Answer 39

small RNA molecule that plays a key role in protein synthesis. Transfer RNA serves as a link (or adaptor) between the messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule and the growing chain of amino acids that make up a protein.

Question 40

uracil

Answer 40

Uracil (U) is one of the four nucleotide bases in RNA, with the other three being adenine (A), cytosine (C) and guanine (G). In RNA, uracil pairs with adenine. In a DNA molecule, the nucleotide thymine (T) is used in place of uracil.

Question 41

vesicle

Answer 41

A small sac formed by a membrane and filled with liquid. Vesicles inside cells move substances into or out of the cell.