adenine
(biochemistry) purine base found in DNA and RNA
amino acid
basic building block of protein
anticodon
group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to an mRNA codon
cell cycle
series of events that cells go through as they grow and divide
chromosome
threadlike structure within the nucleus containing the genetic information that is passed from one generation of cells to the next
codon
a specific sequence of three adjacent bases on a strand of DNA or RNA that provides genetic code information for a particular amino acid
cytosine
Nitrogen base that pairs with guanine.
deoxyribose
five-carbon sugar that is a component of DNA nucleotides
DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA Polymerase
enzyme involved in DNA replication that joins individual nucleotides to produce a DNA molecule
double helix
two strands of nucleotides wound about each other; structure of DNA
enzyme
specialized proteins that speed up chemical reactions
exon
sequence of a gene's DNA that transcribes into protein structures
gene/genome/genetic code
(genetics) a segment of DNA that is involved in producing a polypeptide chain
guanine
The base that pairs with Cytosine in DNA
helicase
an enzyme that untwists the double helix at the replication forks, separating the two parental strands and making them available as template strands
histone
protein molecule around which DNA is tightly coiled in chromatin
hydrogen bond
the bond between the nitrogenous bases of DNA
intron
sequence of DNA that is not involved in coding for a protein
lagging / leading strands
DNA strand that must be synthesized during replication in the direction opposite from the replication fork
ligase
An enzyme that connects two fragments of DNA to make a single fragment; also called DNA ligase. This enzyme is usedd during DNA replication and is also used in recombinant DNA research.
mRNA
messenger RNA; type of RNA that carries instructions from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosome
nitrogenous base
an organic base that contains nitrogen, such as a purine or pyrimidine; a subunit of a nucleotide in DNA and RNA
nucleic acid
an organic compound, either RNA or DNA, whose molecules are made up of one or two chains of nucleotides and carry genetic information
nucleosome
bead-like structure in eukaryotic chromatin, composed of a short length of DNA wrapped around a core of histone proteins
nucleotide
Monomer of nucleic acids made up of a 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogenous base
Okazaki Fragments
Short fragments of DNA that are a result of the synthesis of the lagging strand during DNA replication.
peptide bonds
Bonds between amino acids
phosphodiester bond
Strong covalent bond holding the carbon-3 atom of one nucleotide (deoxyribose sugar) to the phosphate group of another nucleotide
polypeptide
A polymer (chain) of many amino acids linked together by peptide bonds.
protein synthesis
the formation of proteins by using information contained in DNA and carried by mRNA
purine
a nitrogenous base that has a double-ring structure; one of the two general categories of nitrogenous bases found in DNA and RNA; either adenine or guanine
pyrimidine
a nitrogenous base that has a single-ring structure; one of the two general categories of nitrogenous bases found in DNA and RNA; thymine, cytosine, or uracil
replication
copying process by which a cell duplicates its DNA
ribose
a five-carbon sugar present in RNA
ribosome
small particle in the cell on which proteins are assembled; made of RNA and protein
RNA Polymerase
enzyme similar to DNA polymerase that binds to DNA and separates the DNA strands during transcription
rRNA
ribosomal RNA; type of RNA that makes up part of the ribosome
semi-conservative
method of replication that implies that each new strand of DNA is half original and half new
template
a model or standard for making comparisons
thymine
a base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine
transcription
(genetics) the organic process whereby the DNA sequence in a gene is copied into mRNA
translation
(genetics) the process whereby genetic information coded in messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at a ribosome in the cytoplasm
tRNA
transfer RNA; type of RNA that carries amino acids to the ribosome
uracil
a nitrogen-containing base found in RNA (but not in DNA) and derived from pyrimidine