Protein Synthesis Vocabulary

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DNA Polymerase

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an enzyme that binds free floating nucleotides to a DNA template.

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RNA Polymerase

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an enzyme that starts (catalyzes) the formation of RNA by using a strand of a DNA molecule as a template

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Helicase

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enzyme that unwinds and separates the two strands of the DNA double helix.

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Ligase

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an enzyme that catalyzes the binding of DNA strands for the lagging strand of replication.

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Single Stranded Binding Proteins (SSB)

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proteins that help to prevent DNA strands from re-adhering during replication.

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Protein

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large biological molecules consisting of one or more chains of amino acids

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nucleotide

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an organic compound that consists of a sugar, a phosphate, and a nitrogenous base; the basic building block of a nucleic-acid chain

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codon

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in DNA and mRNA, a three-nucleotide sequence that encodes an amino acid or signifies a start signal or a stop signal

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tRNA

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form of RNA that brings amino acids to ribosomes during protein synthesis

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mRNA

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form of RNA that carries genetic information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, where it serves as a template for protein synthesis

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rRNA

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RNA that is in the ribosome and guides the translation of mRNA into a protein

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Transcription

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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

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Translation

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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

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Replication

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process by which DNA is copied.

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stop codon

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codon that signals to ribosomes to stop translation

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antidcodon

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a region of a tRNA molecule that consists of a sequence of three bases that is complementary to an mRNA codon

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Central Dogma of DNA

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theory that states that, in cells, information only flows from DNA to RNA to proteins.

DNA --> RNA --> Protein

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RNA

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ribonucleic acid, a natural polymer that is present in all living cells and that plays a role in protein synthesis

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double helix

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model that compares the structure of a DNA molecule, in which two strands wind around one another, to that of a twisted ladder

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Base Pairing Rules

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the rules stating that in DNA cytosine pairs with guanine and adenine pairs with thymine and that in RNA cytosine pairs with guanine and adenine pairs with uracil