4rth : VOCABULARIES!!!!!!!!!

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Adenine- A purine base present in both DNA and RNA. Represented by the symbol A.

Anticodon- A sequence of three bases on a molecule of tRNA that is complementary to a codon on

mRNA.

Base- A nitrogenous molecule that forms a nucleotide with a phophate group and pentose sugar.
Nucleotides can either a purine (Adenine and Guanine) or pyrimidine (thymine, cytosine and uracil) base.

Base pair- Two complementary bases in opposite strands of a DNA or tRNA molecule that are linked by
hydrogen bonds. Pair always contain one purine and one pyrimidine base.

Base triplet- A sequence of three bases along a DNA molecule that is translated into a codon on an mRNA
molecule and which codes for a specific amino acid.

Chromatin- The substance that forms chromosomes, consisting of DNA and associated proteins such as
histones.

Chromosome- One of several structures in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells that contains an organism's
genes. Made from chromatin.

Cistron- A sequence of base triplets in DNA that codes for a specific polypeptide. Also known as Gene.

Codon- A sequence of three bases on an mRNA molecule that codes for a specific amino acid. There are
64 codons in total.

Cytosine- A pyrimidine base present in both DNA and RNA. Represented by the symbol C.
Deletion- A type of gene/ point mutation in which one or nucleotides are deleted by DNA polymerase
during DNA replication, affecting the sequence of amino acids for which the gene codes.

Deoxyribose- The pentose sugar in nucleotides of DNA.

DNA- Deoxyribonucleic acid. A nucleic acid consisting of two antiparallel strands of polynucleotides
held together by hydrogen bonds between base pairs.

DNA ligase- An enzyme that joins together the sections of the lagging strand during DNA replication.

DNA polymerase- An enzyme that catalyzes the formation of a new polynucleotide chain during DNA
replication.

DNA replication- The process by which a DNA molecule makes a copy of itself.

Gene- A sequence of base triplets in DNA that codes for a specific polypeptide. Also known as a cistron.

Genetic code- The sequence of bases on nucleic acids that codes for all proteins - and therefore all the
characteristics- of an organism.

Guanine- A purine base present in both DNA and RNA. Represented by the symbol G.

Helicase- An enzyme that separates the two strands of a DNA molecule at the start of DNA replication.

Histone- A protein that associates with DNA to help it coil and twist into a more compact structure.
Together, they form chromatin, the structures from which chromosomes are made.

Hydrogen bond- A relatively weak bond that holds base pair together in DNA and tRNA.

Insertion- A type of gene/point mutation in which one or more additional nucleotides are added by DNA
polymerase during DNA replication, affecting the sequence of amino acids for which the gene codes.

mRNA- A type of RNA molecule that is created during transcription and which contains the information
from DNA to make a particular polypeptide chain.

Nucleic acid- A polymer made from nucleotides and which store the genetic code of organisms. The two
most common types are DNA and RNA.

Nucleotide- A molecule containing a phosphate group bound to a pentose sugar and a base. Nucleotides
polymerize to form nucleic acids.

Pentose- A five-carbon sugar present in nucleotides. The pentose sugar is in the nucleotides of DNA is
deoxyribose, whereas in RNA it is ribose.

Phosphodiester- The bond that links nucleotides in nucleic acids.

Phosphoester- The bond that links a phosphate group to a pentose sugar in nucleotides.

Point mutation- A change in nucleotide sequence of a gene. Examples include substitution, insertion, and
deletion.

Polynucleotide- A polymer of nucleotides that are the basis of nucleic acids.

Purine- A double-ring base. The purine bases in nucleic acids are adenine and guanine.
Pyrimidine- A single-ring base. The pyrimidine bases in nucleic acids are thymine (DNA only), cytosine
and Uracil (RNA only).

Ribose- The pentose sugar in nucleotides of RNA.

Ribosome- The organelle on which polypeptide chains are created during translation.

RNA- Ribonucleic acid. A single-stranded nucleic acid of polynucleotides. Two important forms are
mRNA and tRNA.

Semi-conservative- The mechanism by which DNA replicates. The two strands in a molecule of DNA
each act as a template for a new DNA molecule.

Single-strand binding protein- A protein that keeps DNA strands separated during DNA replication.

Substitution- A type of gene/ point mutation in which a nucleotide is substituted by a different one during
DNA replication, potentially affecting the amino acid for the which the base triplet codes.

Thymine- A pyrimidine base present in DNA but not RNA. Represented by the symbol T.

Transcription- The first stage of protein synthesis, during which a sequence of bases on a strand of DNA
is copied into a molecule of mRNA.

Translation- The stage of protein synthesis during which codons on mRNA are translated into a sequence
of amino acids to form a polypeptide chain.

tRNA- A type of RNA molecule that transports specific amino acids to ribosomes during translation.

Uracil- A pyrimidine base present in RNA but not DNA. Represented by the symbol U.