DNA/Protein Synthesis Flashcards
Double Helix
the description of the structure of a DNA molecule.
Nucleotide
an organic molecule that is the building block of DNA and RNA.
Deoxyribose
a sugar derived from ribose by replacing a hydroxyl group with hydrogen.
Base-pairing Rules
The rules of base pairing explain the phenomenon that whatever the amount of adenine (A) in the DNA of an organism, the amount of thymine (T) is the same (called Chargaff’s rule). Similarly, whatever the amount of guanine (G), the amount of cytosine (C) is the same
DNA Replication
the process by which DNA makes a copy of itself during cell division.
Replication Fork
a structure that forms within the long helical DNA during DNA replication
DNA Helicase
enzymes that bind and may even remodel nucleic acid or nucleic acid protein complexes
DNA polymerase
a member of a family of enzymes that catalyze the synthesis of DNA molecules from nucleoside triphosphates, the molecular precursors of DNA.
RNA
a polymeric molecule essential in various biological roles in coding, decoding, regulation and expression of genes
Transcription
the first of several steps of DNA based gene expression in which a particular segment of DNA is copied into RNA by the enzyme RNA polymerase.
Translation
In molecular biology and genetics, translation is the process in which ribosomes in the cytoplasm or endoplasmic reticulum synthesize proteins after the process transcription of DNA to RNA in the cell’s nucleus
Messenger RNA
a single-stranded RNA molecule that is complementary to one of the DNA strands of a gene.
Transfer RNA
a small RNA molecule that participates in protein synthesis. Each tRNA molecule has two important areas: a trinucleotide region called the anticodon and a region for attaching a specific amino acid.
Gene Expression
the process by which the instructions in our DNA are converted into a functional product, such as a protein.
