Vocabulary Review
Chapter 10 –
DNA, RNA, and
Protein
Synthesis
Describes a microorganism
that causes disease and
that is highly infectious;
refers to viruses that
reproduce by the lytic
cycle
Virulent
The transfer of genetic
material in the form of
DNA fragments from
one cell to another or
from one organism to
another
Transformation
A virus that infects
bacteria
Bacteriophage
In a nucleic-acid
chain, a subunit that
consists of a sugar, a
phosphate, and a
nitrogenous base
Nucleotide
A five-carbon sugar
that is a component
of DNA nucleotides
Deoxyribose
An organic base that
contains nitrogen,
such as a purine or
pyrimidine; a subunit
of a nucleotide in
DNA and RNA
Nitrogenous base
A nitrogenous base that
has a double-ring
structure; one of the two
general categories of
nitrogenous bases found in
DNA and RNA; either
adenine or guanine
Purine
A nitrogenous base that
has a single-ring
structure; one of the two
general catgories of
nitrogenous bases found in
DNA and RNA; thymine,
cytosine, or uracil
Pyrimidine
The rules stating that
cytosine pairs with guanine
and adenine pairs with
thymine in DNA, and that
adenine pairs with uracil in
RNA
Base-pairing
rules
The nucleotide bases in
one strand of DNA or
RNA that are paired with
those of another strand;
adenine pairs with thymine
or uracil; guanine pairs
with cytosine
Complementary
base pair
The process of
making a copy of
DNA
DNA replication
An enzyme that
separates DNA
strands
Helicase
A Y-shaped point that
results when the two
strands of a DNA double
helix separate so that the
DNA molecule can be
replicated
Replication fork
An enzyme that
catalyzes the
formation of the
DNA molecule
DNA polymerase
In each new DNA
double helix, one strand
is from the original
molecule, and one
strand is new
Semiconservative
replication
A change in the
nucleotide-base
sequence of a gene or
DNA molecule
Mutation
A natural polymer
that is present in all
living cells and that
plays a role in protein
synthesis
Ribonucleic acid
(RNA)
The process of forming a
nucleic acid by using another
molecule as a template;
particularly the process of
synthesizing RNA by using one
strand of a DNA molecule as
a template
Transcription
The portion of protein
synthesis that takes place
at ribosomes and that
uses the codons in mRNA
molecules to specify the
sequence of amino acids in
polypeptide chains
Translation
The formation of
proteins by using
information contained
in DNA and carried
by mRNA
Protein synthesis
A five-carbon sugar
present in RNA
Ribose
A single-stranded
RNA molecule that
encodes the
information to make a
protein
Messenger RNA
(mRNA)
An RNA molecule that
transfers amino acids
to the growing end of
a polypeptide chain
during translation
Transfer RNA
(tRNA)
An enzyme that
starts the formation
of RNA by using a
strand of a DNA
molecule as a
template
RNA polymerase
A nucleotide sequence on a
DNA molecule to which an
RNA polymerase molecule
binds, which initiates the
transcription of a specific
gene
Promoter
A specific sequence
of nucleotides that
marks the end of a
gene
Termination
signal
The rule that describes how a
sequence of nucleotides, read
in groups of three consecutive
nucleotides that corresponds
to specific amino acids,
specifies the amino acid
sequence of a protein
Genetic code
In DNA, a threenucleotide sequence
that encodes an
amino acid or signifies
a start signal or a
stop signal
Codon
A region of tRNA
that consists of three
bases complementary
to the codon of
mRNA
Anticodon
The complete genetic
material contained in
an individual
Genome