DNA&Protein Synthesis
Terms
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- adenine
- (A) A double-ring nitrogenous base found in DNA and RNA.
- AIDS
- (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome)The name of the late stages of HIV infection; defined by a specified reduction of T cells and the appearance of characteristic secondary infections.
- anticodon
- A specialized base triplet at one end of a tRNA molecule that recognizes a particular complementary codon on an mRNA molecule.
- bacterial chromosome
- The single, circular DNA molecule found in bacteria
- bacteriophage
- A virus that infects bacteria; also called a phage. See phage.
- codon
- A three-nucleotide sequence of DNA or mRNA that specifies a particular amino acid or termination signal; the basic unit of the genetic code.
- cytosine
- (C) A single-ring nitrogenous base found in DNA and RNA.
- DNA ligase
- A linking enzyme essential for DNA replication; catalyzes the covalent bonding of the 3' end of a new DNA fragment to the 5' end of a growing chain
- DNA polymerase
- An enzyme that catalyzes the elongation of new DNA at a replication fork by the addition of nucleotides to the existing chain.
- double helix
- The form of native DNA, referring to its two adjacent polynucleotide strands wound into a spiral shape.
- exon
- A coding region of a eukaryotic gene. Exons, which are expressed, are separated from each other by introns.
- genetic code
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genetic code
The set of rules relating nucleotide sequence to amino acid sequence. - guanine
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guanine
(G) A double-ring nitrogenous base found in DNA and RNA. - HIV
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HIV
(human immunodeficiency virus)The infectious agent that causes AIDS; HIV is an RNA retrovirus. - intron
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intron
A noncoding, intervening sequence within a eukaryotic gene. - lysogenic cycle
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lysogenic cycle
A phage replication cycle in which the viral genome becomes incorporated into the bacterial host chromosome as a prophage and does not kill the host. - lytic cycle
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lytic cycle
A type of viral replication cycle resulting in the release of new phages by death or lysis of the host cell. - mutagen
- A chemical or physical agent that interacts with DNA and causes a mutation.
- mutation
- A rare change in the DNA of a gene ultimately creating genetic diversity.
- nucleotide
- The building block of a nucleic acid, consisting of a five-carbon sugar covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate group.
- peptide bond
- The covalent bond between two amino acid units, formed by a dehydration reaction.
- polynucleotide
- A polymer consisting of many nucleotide monomers; serves as a blueprint for proteins and, through the actions of proteins, for all cellular activities. The two types are DNA and RNA.
- promoter
- A specific nucleotide sequence in DNA that binds RNA polymerase and indicates where to start transcribing RNA.
- prophage
- A phage genome that has been inserted into a specific site on the bacterial chromosome.
- provirus
- Viral DNA that inserts into a host genome.
- reading frame
- The way a cell’s mRNA-translating machinery groups the mRNA nucleotides into codons
- retrovirus
- An RNA virus that reproduces by transcribing its RNA into DNA and then inserting the DNA into a cellular chromosome; an important class of cancer-causing viruses
- reverse transcriptase
- An enzyme encoded by some RNA viruses that uses RNA as a template for DNA synthesis
- ribosomal RNA
- (rRNA)The most abundant type of RNA, which together with proteins, forms the structure of ribosomes. Ribosomes coordinate the sequential coupling of tRNA molecules to mRNA codons.
- RNA polymerase
- An enzyme that links together the growing chain of ribonucleotides during transcription.
- RNA splicing
- The removal of noncoding portions (introns) of the RNA molecule after initial synthesis.
- stop codon
- In mRNA, one of three triplets (UAG, UAA, UGA) that signal gene translation to stop.
- sugar-phosphate backbone
- The alternating chain of sugar and phosphate to which the DNA and RNA nitrogenous bases are attached.
- terminator
- A special sequence of nucleotides in DNA that marks the end of a gene. It signals RNA polymerase to release the newly made RNA molecule, which then departs from the gene.
- thymine
- (T) A single-ring nitrogenous base found in DNA.
- transcription
- The synthesis of RNA on a DNA template
- transfer RNA
- (tRNA)An RNA molecule that functions as an interpreter between nucleic acid and protein language by picking up specific amino acids and recognizing the appropriate codons in the mRNA.
- translation
- The synthesis of a polypeptide using the genetic information encoded in an mRNA molecule. There is a change of "language" from nucleotides to amino acids.
- uracil
- (U) A single-ring nitrogenous base found in RNA.