Term | Definition |
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) | (ATP) high-energy molecules used by the cell to synthesize macromolecules, such as carbohydrates and proteins |
complementary base pairing | Complementary base pairing describes the manner in which the nitrogenous bases of the DNA molecules align with each other. Complementary base pairings are also responsible for the double-helix structure of DNA. |
cytosine (C) | One of four nitrogen-containing bases in nucleotides composing the structure of DNA and RNA; pairs with guanine. |
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) | is a molecule that encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and many viruses |
double helix | describes the appearance of a DNA molecule |
guanine (G) | Double spiral; describes the three-dimensional shape of DNA. |
ribonucleic acid (RNA) | Nucleic acid produced from covalent bonding of nucleotide monomers that contain the sugar ribose; occurs in three forms: messenger RNA, ribosomal RNA, and transfer RNA. |
nitrogenous base | is simply a nitrogen containing molecule that has the same chemical properties as a base. They are particularly important since they make up the building blocks of DNA and RNA: adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil. |
nucleic acids | there are two types of nucleic acids; DNA and RNA; both are polymers of nucleotides |
nucleotide | composed of three main parts: a phosphate group (phosphoric acid), a pentose sugar (DNA contains the sugar deoxyribose and RNA contains the sugar ribose), and a nitrogen-containing base |
phosphate | (PO43−) as an inorganic chemical is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. |
thymine (T) | (T) One of four nitrogen-containing bases in nucleotides composing the structure of DNA; pairs with adenine. |
uracil (U) | (U) One of four nitrogen-containing structures of RNA; pairs with adenine. |