Vocabulary #3

DNA ligase: ligase that catalyzes the linkage between two free ends of double-stranded DNA chains.                          

DNA polymerase: an enzyme that catalyzes the assembly of deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates into deoxyribonucleic acid.           

mRNA (messenger RNA): is a molecule of RNA encoding a chemical "blueprint" for a protein product.

Ionizing radiation: High-energy wavelengths.

Intron: A segment of a gene situated between exons that is removed before translation of messenger RNA and does not function in coding for protein synthesis.

Insertion: The addition, as by mutation, of one or more nucleotides to a chromosome.

Genetic mutation: any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism.

Genetic code: The sequence of nucleotides in DNA or RNA that determines the specific amino acid sequence in the synthesis of proteins.

Exon: The nucleic acid and sequence in the DNA, or RNA transcript following genteic splicing.

Deletion: the loss of a chromosome segment.

Carcinogen: Any substance or agent that can trigger cancer.

Base-pair substitution: One amino acid has replaced another during protein synthesis

X-Ray diffraction image: film exposed to x-rays, reveals positions of atoms.

Codon: A sequence of three adjacent nucleotides constituting the genetic code that determines the insertion of a specific amino acid in a polypeptide chain during protein synthesis or the signal to stop protein synthesis..               

Anticodon: Series of three nucleotide bases in tRNA; can base-pair with an mRNA 

Nucleotides are molecules that, when joined together, make up the structural units of RNA and DNA.

DNA replication: Any process by which a cell duplicates its DNA molecules before dividing.

Mutation Rate: is the chance of a mutation occurring in an organism or gene in each generation.

DNA repair  refers to a collection of processes by which a cell identifies and corrects damage to the DNA molecules that encode its genome.    

Deoxyribonucleic Acid: the complex substance that is the main carrier of genetic information for all organisms and a major component of chromosomes.

Cloning: Making a genetically identical copy of DNA or of an organism

Bacteriophage: Category of viruses that infect bacterial cells.

1. Adenine: is one of the two purine nucleobases used in forming nucleoids of the nucleic acids
.
2. Tyminea base found in DNA (but not in RNA) and derived from pyrimidine; pairs with adenine

3. Guanine: 

 A purine base that is a component of DNA and RNA, forming a base pair with cytosine.

4. Cytosine: A pyrimidine base that is a component of DNA and RNA, forming a base pair with guanine.