Chapter 8
Genes to Proteins
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- transgenic
- Refers to an organism that carries one or more genes from a different species.
- protein
- An organic molecule made up of linked amino acid subunits. They play many critical roles in living organisms.
- amino acids
- The building blocks of proteins. There are 20 different types of these found in proteins.
- gene
- A sequence of DNA that contains the information to make at least one protein.
- gene expression
- The process of using DNA instructions to make proteins.
- genotype
- The genetic makeup of an organism.
- phenotype
- The physical attributes of an organism, including both observable and internal or non-observable traits.
- alleles
- Alternative versions of the same gene that have different nucleotide sequences.
- regulatory sequence
- The part of a gene that determines the timing, amount, and location of protein produced.
- coding sequence
- The part of a gene that specifies the amino acid sequence of a protein. They determine the identity, shape, and function of proteins.
- genetically modified organism (GMO)
- An organism that has been genetically altered by humans.
- gene therapy
- A type of treatment that aims to cure disease by replacing defective genes with functional ones.
- transcription
- The first stage of gene expression, during which cells produce molecules of messenger RNA (mRNA) from the instructions encoded within genes.
- translation
- The second stage of gene expression. This "reads" mRNA sequences and assembles the corresponding amino acids to make a protein.
- messenger RNA (mRNA)
- The RNA copy of an original DNA sequence formed during transcription.
- RNA polymerase
- The enzyme that accomplishes transcription. It copies a strand of DNA into a complementary strand of mRNA.
- ribosome
- The cellular machinery that assembles proteins during the process of translation.
- codon
- A sequence of three mRNA nucleotides that specifies a particular amino acid.
- transfer RNA (tRNA)
- A type of RNA that helps ribosomes assemble chains of amino acids during translation.
- anticodon
- The part of a tRNA molecule that binds to a complementary mRNA codon.
- genetic code
- The particular amino acids specified by particular mRNA codons.