Chapter 12 Biology DNA and RNa Vocab – Flashcards
Unlock all answers in this set
Unlock answersquestion
transformation
answer
process in which one strain of bacteria is changed by a gene or genes from another strain of bacteria
question
bacteriophage
answer
virus that infects bacteria
question
base-pairing
answer
principle that bonds in DNA can form only between adenine and thymine and between guanine and cytosine
question
chromatin
answer
granular material visible within the nucleus; consists of DNA tightly coiled around proteins
question
histones
answer
globular protein molecule around which DNA is tightly coiled in chromatin
question
replication
answer
copying process by which a cell duplicates its DNA
question
DNA polymerase
answer
enzyme that "proofreads" new DNA strands, helping to ensure that each molecule is a nearly perfect copy of the original DNA
question
gene
answer
sequence of DNA that codes for a protein and thus determines a trait
question
messenger RNA
answer
RNA molecule that carries copies of instructions for the assembly of amino acids into proteins from DNA to the rest of the cell
question
ribosomal RNA
answer
type of RNA that makes up the major part of ribosomes
question
transfer RNA
answer
type of RNA molecule that transfers amino acids to ribosomes during protein synthesis
question
transcription
answer
process in which part of the nucleotide sequence of DNA is copied into a complementary sequence in RNA
question
RNA polymerase
answer
enzyme similar to DNA polymerase that binds to DNA and separates the DNA strands during transcription
question
promoter
answer
Region of DNA that indicates to an enzyme where to bind to make RNA.
question
intron
answer
intervening sequence of DNA; does not code for a protein
question
exon
answer
expressed sequence of DNA; codes for a protein
question
codon
answer
three-nucleotide sequence on messenger RNA that codes for a single amino acid
question
translation
answer
decoding of a mRNA message into a polypeptide chain
question
anticodon
answer
group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to an mRNA codon
question
mutation
answer
change in a DNA sequence that affects genetic information
question
point mutation
answer
mutation that affects a single nucleotide, usually by substituting one nucleotide for another
question
frameshift mutation
answer
mutation that shifts the "reading" frame of the genetic message by inserting or deleting a nucleotide
question
polyploidy
answer
condition in which an organism has extra sets of chromosomes
question
operon
answer
group of genes operating together
question
operator
answer
region of chromosome in an operon to which the repressor binds when the operon is "turned off"
question
differentiation
answer
process in which cells become specialized in structure and function
question
hox gene
answer
series of genes that controls the differentiation of cells and tissues in an embryo
