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Chapter 8 vocab
DNA and Genes
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Nucleotide | Small units or monomers that make up DNA |
| Double Helix | Two strands of DNA wind around each other like a twisted ladder |
| Base Pairing Rules | Thymine (T) always pairs with adenine (A), and cytosine (C) always pairs with guanine (G) |
| Replication | The process by which DNA is copied during the cell cycle |
| DNA Polymerase | A group of enzymes that bond new nucleotides together |
| Central Dogma | A theory that states that in cells information only flows from DNA to RNA to proteins |
| RNA | Ribonucleic acid |
| Transcription | The process of copying a sequence of DNA to produce a complementary strand of RNA |
| RNA Polymerase | Enzymes that bond nucleotides together in a chain to make a new RNA molecule |
| Messenger RNA (mRNA) | Is an intermediate message that is translated to form a protein |
| Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) | Forms part of ribosomes in a cells protein factories |
| Transfer RNA (tRNA) | Brings amino acids from the cytoplasm to a ribosome to help make the growing protein |
| Translation | The process that coverts or translates an mRNA message into a polypeptide |
| Codon | A three-nucleotide sequence that codes for an amino acid |
| Stop Codon | Signal the end of the amino acid chain |
| Start Codon | Signals the start of translation and the amino acid methionine |
| Anticodon | A set of three nucleotides that is complementary to an mRNA codon |