BIOLOGY Vocabulary Chapter 12 & 13

Nucleic acids

macromolecule containing hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus

The 4 Nitrogen bases found in DNA

DNA contains adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine

James Watson and Francis Crick

Came up with the structure of DNA

double helix

The structure of DNA:

RNA

Single strand of nucleotides

messenger RNA

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

A type of RNA molecule that transfers amino acids to ribosomes during protein synthesis

codon

Three-nucleotide sequence on messenger RNA that codes for a single amino acid

anticodon

Group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to an mRNA codon

transcription

mRNA makes a copy of DNA with polymerase and separates the DNA strands

translation

Decoding of mRNA into protein (polypeptide)

mutation

A change in genetic material

gene mutation

Change in a single gene

point mutation

Change in a single nucleotide

frameshift mutation

Mutations that shifts the “reading frame” of the genetic message by inserting or deleting a nucleotide

Chromosomal mutations

Mutation that involves changes in the number or structure of chromosomes

Deletion Chromosome mutation

Loss of part or entire chromosome

Duplication Chromosome mutation

A segment of the chromosome is repeated

Inversion Chromosome mutation

Mutation where part of the chromosome becomes reversed

Translocation Chromosome mutation

Mutation where part of the chromosome breaks off and attaches to another

Selective breeding

Method of improving a species by allowing only those individual organisms with desired characteristics to produce the next generation

inbreeding

Continued breeding of individuals with similar characteristics

genetic engineering

Makes changes in DNA code of a living organism

transgenic organism

Used to refer to an organism that contains genes from other organisms

cloning

A member of population of genetically identical cells from a single cell