Transcription - DNA Replication - PDF

1. Transcription: The process by which the genetic information in DNA is copied into messenger RNA (mRNA) for protein production. 2. Excision Repair: A mechanism that removes and replaces damaged DNA, such as nucleotide excision repair, which corrects UV-induced damage. 3. Translation: The p...

1. Transcription: The process by which the genetic information in DNA is copied into messenger RNA (mRNA) for protein production. 2. Excision Repair: A mechanism that removes and replaces damaged DNA, such as nucleotide excision repair, which corrects UV-induced damage. 3. Translation: The process by which ribosomes convert the genetic information in mRNA into a sequence of amino acids to build proteins. 4. Mismatch Repair: A system for recognizing and repairing erroneous insertion, deletion, and mis-incorporation of bases during DNA replication and recombination. 5. Codon: A sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that codes for a specific amino acid or signals the end of protein synthesis. 6. PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction): A laboratory technique used to make multiple copies of a segment of DNA. 7. Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase: An enzyme that attaches the appropriate amino acid onto its tRNA. 8. Sanger Sequencing: A method of DNA sequencing based on the selective incorporation of chain-terminating dideoxynucleotides during DNA replication. 9. Genetic Code: The set of rules by which information encoded in mRNA sequences is translated into proteins by living cells. 10. DNA Polymerase: An enzyme that synthesizes DNA molecules from deoxyribonucleotides, essential for DNA replication. 11. Anticodon: A sequence of three bases in tRNA that is complementary to a codon in mRNA. 12. Proofreading: The function of DNA polymerase to correct errors in DNA synthesis by removing and replacing incorrect nucleotides. 13. Silent Mutation: A mutation that changes a single nucleotide, but does not change the amino acid created, thus having no effect on the protein's function. 14. Introns: Non-coding sequences of DNA within a gene that are removed during RNA processing. 15. tRNA (Transfer RNA): A type of RNA molecule that helps decode mRNA sequences into proteins during translation by carrying amino acids to the ribosome. 16. Rosalind Franklin: An English chemist whose X-ray diffraction images of DNA contributed to the discovery of the DNA double helix structure. 17. Okazaki fragment: Short sequences of DNA nucleotides which are synthesized discontinuously and later linked together on the lagging strand during DNA replication. 18. Watson and Crick: James Watson and Francis Crick, who, along with Maurice Wilkins and using Rosalind Franklin's data, discovered the double helix structure of DNA. 19. ORI (Origin of Replication): A specific sequence in the genome where DNA replication begins. 20. Transformation: The genetic alteration of a cell resulting from the direct uptake and incorporation of exogenous genetic material from its surroundings. 21. Leading Strand: The strand of DNA that is synthesized continuously during DNA replication. 22. Chargaff: Erwin Chargaff, a biochemist known for Chargaff's rules, which state that DNA from any cell should have a 1:1 ratio of pyrimidine and purine bases (A=T and C=G). 23. Telomerase: An enzyme that adds nucleotides to the ends of chromosomes (telomeres) to prevent them from shortening during replication. 24. Helicase: An enzyme that unwinds the DNA helix ahead of the replication fork. 25. Lagging Strand: The strand of DNA that is synthesized discontinuously in short sections (Okazaki fragments) during DNA replication. 26. Template: A strand of DNA or RNA used as a guide to synthesize a complementary strand. 27. Plasmid: Small, circular, double-stranded DNA molecules that are separate from a cell's chromosomal DNA and can replicate independently. Commonly found in bacteria. 28. Antiparallel: Refers to the opposite orientation of the two strands of DNA in the double helix, where one strand runs 5' to 3' and the other 3' to 5'. 29. Semi-conservative: The method of DNA replication in which each new double helix contains one old strand and one new strand. 30. Primer: A short nucleic acid sequence that provides a starting point for DNA synthesis.