Genetics and Molecular Biology Terminology, Quizzes of Biology

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adenine (A)

a nitrogenous base found in both DNA and RNA; abbreviated as A TERM 2

bacteriophage

DEFINITION 2 a virus that specifically infects bacteria TERM 3

base

DEFINITION 3 one of the nitrogen-containing, single- or double-ringed structures that distinguishes one nucleotide from another. In DNA, the bases are adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine TERM 4

complementary base pair

DEFINITION 4 in nucleic acids, bases that pair by hydrogen bonding. in DNA, adenine is complementary to thymine and guanine is complementary to cytosine; in RNA, adenine is complementary to uracil, and guanine to cytosine TERM 5

cytosine (C)

DEFINITION 5 a nitrogenous base found in both DNA and RNA; abbreviated as C

deletion mutation

a mutation in which one or more pairs of nucleotides are removed from a gene TERM 7

DNA helicase

DEFINITION 7 an enzyme that helps unwind the DNA double helix during DNA replication TERM 8

DNA ligase

DEFINITION 8 an enzyme that bonds the terminal sugar in one DNA strand to the terminal phosphate in a second DNA strand, creating a single strand with a continuous sugar-phosphate backbone TERM 9

DNA polymerase

DEFINITION 9 an enzyme that bonds DNA nucleotides together into a continuous strand, using a preexisting DNA strand as a template TERM 10

DNA replication

DEFINITION 10 the copying of the double-stranded DNA molecule, producing two identical DNA double helices

mutation

a change in the base sequence of DNA in a gene; often used to refer to a genetic change that is significant rnough to alter the appearance or function of the organism TERM 17

nucleotide substitution

DEFINITION 17 a mutation in which a single base pair in DNA has been changed TERM 18

nucleotide

DEFINITION 18 a subunit of which nucleic acids are composed; a phosphate group bonded to a sugar, which is in turn bonded to a nitrogen containing base. Nucleotides are linked together, forming a strand of nucleic acid, by bonds between the phosphate of one nucleotide and the sugar of the next nucleotide TERM 19

point mutation

DEFINITION 19 a mutation in which a single base pair in DNA has been changed TERM 20

semiconservative replication

DEFINITION 20 the process of replication of the DNA double helix; the two DNA strands separate, and each is used as a template for the synthesis of a complementary DNA strand. Consequently, each daughter double helix consists of one parental strand and one new strand

strand

a single polymer of nucleotides; DNA is composed of two strands wound about each other in a double helix; RNA is usually single stranded. TERM 22

sugar-phosphate backbone

DEFINITION 22 a chain of sugars and phosphates in DNA and RNA; the sugar of one nucleotide bonds to the phosphate of the next nucleotide in a DNA or RNA strand. The bases in DNA or RNA are attached to the sugars of the backbone TERM 23

thymine (T)

DEFINITION 23 a nitrogenous base found only in DNA; abbreviated as T TERM 24

Translocation

DEFINITION 24 a mutation that occurs when a piece of DNA is removed from one chromosome and attached to another chromosome