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Orig in alAlp habet ic al
Transformation
modification of a cell or bacterium by the uptake and
incorporation of exogenous DNA
Bacteriophage
A kind of virus that infects bacteria
Nucleotide
A building block of DNA, consisting of a five-carbon sugar
covalently bonded to a nitrogenous base and a phosphate
group.
Base Pairing
Principle that bonds in DNA can form only between adenine
and thymine and between guanine and cytosine
Messenger RNA
RNA molecule that carries copies of instructions for the
assembly of amino acids into proteins from DNA to the rest
of the cell
Ribosomal RNA
Type of RNA that makes up the major part of ribosomes.
Transfer RNA
type of RNA molecule that transfers amino acids to
ribosomes during protein synthesis
Transcription
the organic process whereby the DNA sequence in a gene is
copied into mRNA
RNA Polymerase
An enzyme that links together the growing chain of RNA
nucleotides during transcription, using a DNA strand as a
template.
Promoter
A specific nucleotide sequence in DNA that binds RNA
polymerase and indicates where to start transcribing RNA.
Intron
Large pieces of RNA that are removed before they become
functional. Intervening sequence.
Exon
Expressed sequences of RNA.
Codon
A specific sequence of three adjacent bases on a strand of
DNA or RNA that provides genetic code information for a
particular amino acid
Translation
the process whereby genetic information coded in
messenger RNA directs the formation of a specific protein at
a ribosome in the cytoplasm
Anticodon
group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are
complementary to an mRNA codon
Chromatin
Consists of DNA that is tightly coiled around proteins called
histones.
Histone
Globular protein that assist in DNA packaging in eukaryotes.
Histones form octamers around which DNA is wound to form
a nucleosome.
Replication
Copying process
DNA Polymerase
Enzyme involved in DNA replication that joins individual
nucleotides to produce a DNA molecule
Mutation
any event that changes genetic structure
Point Mutation
Mutations that affect one nucleotide
Frameshift Mutation
Mutation that shifts the "reading" frame of the genetic
message by inserting or deleting a nucleotide
Operon
A group of genes that operate together
Operator
A specific DNA nucleotide sequence where transcriptional
regulatory proteins can bind.
Hox Gene
series of genes that controls the differentiation of cells and
tissues in an embryo