Unit 3 List 1 DNA & Heredity

Question 1

adenine

Answer 1

a compound which is one of the four constituent bases of nucleic acids. A purine derivative, it is paired with thymine in double-stranded DNA.

Question 2

amino acid

Answer 2

molecules that combine to form proteins.

Question 3

anticodon

Answer 3

a sequence of three nucleotides forming a unit of genetic code in a transfer RNA molecule, corresponding to a complementary codon in messenger RNA.

Question 4

cell types

Answer 4

Cell types are the basic functional units of an organism.

Question 5

cell differentiation

Answer 5

the process of cells becoming more specialized.

Question 6

chromosome

Answer 6

A structure found inside the nucleus of a cell.

Question 7

codon

Answer 7

A sequence of three consecutive nucleotides in a DNA or RNA molecule that codes for a specific amino acid.

Question 8

cytoplasm

Answer 8

the gelatinous liquid that fills the inside of a cell.

Question 9

cytosine

Answer 9

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

Question 10

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

Answer 10

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

Question 11

deoxyribose

Answer 11

a sugar that has five carbon atoms and four oxygen atoms in each molecule and is part of DNA

Question 12

double helix

Answer 12

a term used to describe the physical structure of DNA.

Question 13

endoplasmic reticulum

Answer 13

a network of membranes inside a cell through which proteins and other molecules move.

Question 14

enzyme

Answer 14

proteins that help speed up metabolism, or the chemical reactions in our bodies.

Question 15

gene

Answer 15

The basic unit of heredity passed from parent to child.

Question 16

Golgi apparatus *

Answer 16

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

Question 17

guanine

Answer 17

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

Question 18

hydrogen bond

Answer 18

a special type of dipole-dipole attraction between molecules, not a covalent bond to a hydrogen atom.

Question 19

mRNA

Answer 19

Messenger RNAa molecule that contains the instructions or recipe that directs the cells to make a protein using its natural machinery.

Question 20

mutation

Answer 20

Any change in the DNA sequence of a cell.

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

a double layer that encloses the cell’s nucleus, where the chromosomes reside.

Question 23

nucleic acid *

Answer 23

large biomolecules that play essential roles in all cells and viruses.

Question 24

nucleotide

Answer 24

A molecule that is the basic building block of the nucleic acids DNA and RNA.

Question 25

nucleus

Answer 25

the structure in a cell that contains the chromosomes.

Question 26

peptide bond *

Answer 26

a covalent bond that links amino acids together to form a protein.

Question 27

phosphate group *

Answer 27

A functional group characterized by a phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms

Question 28

polypeptides

Answer 28

a single linear chain of many amino acids (any length), held together by amide bonds.

Question 28

protein synthesis *

Answer 28

the biological process whereby amino acids are assembled by peptide bonding into specific polypeptide sequences in accord with genetic blueprints encoded by deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).

Question 29

ribose

Answer 29

a sugar that forms the backbone of a very important molecule called ribonucleic acid (RNA).

Question 30

ribosome

Answer 30

the cellular machinery responsible for making proteins.

Question 31

RNA

Answer 31

Ribonucleic acid (abbreviated RNA) is a nucleic acid present in all living cells that has structural similarities to DNA.

Question 32

rRNA

Answer 32

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is part of the ribosome, or protein builders, of the cell.

Question 33

start codon *

Answer 33

the initial set of codons in an mRNA transcript that is translated by a ribosome.

Question 34

stop codon *

Answer 34

a sequence of three nucleotides (a trinucleotide) in DNA or messenger RNA (mRNA) that signals a halt to protein synthesis in the cell.

Question 34

thymine

Answer 34

one of the four nucleotide bases in the nucleic acid of DNA that are represented by the letters G–C–A–T.

Question 35

transcription

Answer 35

the process by which a cell makes an RNA copy of a piece of DNA.

Question 36

translation

Answer 36

the process by which a cell makes proteins using the genetic information carried in messenger RNA (mRNA).

Question 37

tRNA

Answer 37

Transfer RNA (abbreviated tRNA) is a small RNA molecule that plays a key role in protein synthesis.

Question 37

uracil

Answer 37

a common and naturally occurring pyrimidine nucleobase in which the pyrimidine ring is substituted with two oxo groups at positions 2 and 4.

Question 38

vesicle

Answer 38

A small sac formed by a membrane and filled with liquid.