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Genetic Material

Terms from Genetic Material Unit of NW 04-350

Term	Definition
protein	one of the major classes of biomolecules	composed of chains of amino acids
nucleic acid	one of the major classes of biomolecules	composed of chains of nucleotides
nucleotide	monomeric subunit of nucleic acids	composed of a pentose sugar, nitrogenous base, and at least one phosphate group
nucleoside	composed of a pentose sugar and a nitrogenous base
enzyme	a protein that catalyzes a biochemical reaction
radiolabelling	growing an organism in the presence of a radioactive isotope, which results in the incorporation of that isotope into the molecules of the organism
pellet	a collection of cells or other solid material at the bottom of a tube after centrifugation
supernatant	the liquid above the pellet after centrifugation
purine	one of the classes of nitrogenous bases, composed of two rings	includes adenine and guanine
pyrimidine	one of the classes of nitrogenous bases, composed of one ring structure	includes thymine, cytosine, and uracil
ribose	one of the pentose sugars found in nucleic acids, with an OH at 2'
deoxyribose	one of the pentose sugars found in nucleic acids, without an OH at 2'
methyl cytosine	a chemically modified version of cytosine that has an additional methyl (CH3) group added. This modification alters its ability to form hydrogen bonds and pair with other bases.
chemically modified bases	nitrogenous bases that have had functional groups added or removed that alter their base pairing properties.
deoxy adenosine monophosphate	dAMP, a nucleotide containing deoxyribose, adenine attached to 1', and a single phosphate attached to 5'
adenosine diphosphate	ADP, a nucleotide composed of ribose sugar, with adenine attached to 1' and two phosphates attached to 5'
dNTP	deoxy nucleoside tri phosphate, a generic collection of nucleotides, all of which are composed of deoxyribose sugar, with three phosphates attached to 5'. However, any of the nitrogenous bases (ATCG) could be attached to 1'.	These are the monomeric subunits used to build a DNA strand
NTP	nucleoside tri phosphate, a generic collection of nucleotides with three phosphates attached to 5' of ribose sugar. Any base could be attached to 1' (AUCG)	These are the monomer subunits used to build an RNA strand.
Chargaff's Rules	relationship that applies to double stranded nucleic acids. Concentration of purines = concentration of pyrimidines because of complementary base pairing. A=T, C=G
antiparallel	when two strands of nucleic acid are oriented opposite to each other, 5' end of one opposite the 3' end of the other
phosphodiester bond	covalent bond that links nucleotides into a chain. Extends from 3' carbon to 5' carbon of next nucleotide in the chain.
peptide bond	covalent bond that links amino acids into a chain forming a polypeptide. Extends from carboxy end of first amino acid to amino end of the second.
complementary base pairng	when hydrogen bonds develop between nitrogenous bases. Responsible for Chargaff's rules	in a double stranded nucleic acid, this pairing links the two strands together.
helix	the three dimensional structure of double stranded nucleic acid when the two strands rotate around each other to form a spiral staircase
major groove	a large spatial gap between the two sugar phosphate backbones of a double stranded nucleic acid.	provides a binding point for proteins on the surface of a double stranded DNA that targets specific sequences of bases that are accessible through this gap.
minor groove	a small spatial gap between the two sugar phospahte backbones of a double stranded nucleic acid helix.	the gap is not large enough to allow access to bases in the center of the DNA molecule. so it is not used for base sequence specific binding of proteins.
uracil	pyrimidine typically found in RNA but not DNA unless another base as been chemically altered.
internal base pairing	the formation of hydrogen bonds between complementary bases in the same strand of nucleic acid	responsible for the formation of complex shapes in single stranded RNA molecules
hair pin	one type of secondary structure created by internal base pairing
stem loop	one type of secondary structure created by internal base pairing. a lollipop like structure in the RNA
supercoil	a double helix (as of DNA) that has undergone additional twisting in the same direction as or in the opposite direction from the turns in the original helix
nucleoid	supercoiled non relaxed circular chromosome of prokaryotic organism, floating in the cytoplasm of the cell
chromosome	long strand of DNA double helix that may contain many genes. First identified as a "colored body" that appears in prophase of mitosis	may be many linear units in eukaryotes or a single circular unit in prokaryotes
chromatin	a composite of DNA and protein that makes up a chromosome
chromatin structure	the organization and compaction of chromatin. Capable of change depending on how tightly the proteins are attached to the DNA and how much compaction has occurred.
euchromatin	Less organized and compacted chromatin. Associated with areas of the chromosome actively expressed
heterochromatin	Highly organized and compacted chromatin. Associated with areas of the chromsome not actively expressed.	Found near the centromere and ends of the chromosome.
histone	group of positively charged proteins that bind to DNA. Involved in forming nucleosomes and other chromatin structure.
nucleosome	histone core with double stranded DNA wrapped around it, held in place by histone H1. Most fundamental unit of chromatin structure	an individual bead on the string
30 nm fiber	formed when multiple nucleosomes aggregate together to form a higher level of chromatin organization.
scaffold proteins	proteins which the 30 nm fiber attach to, forming a lamp brush chromosome.
lamp brush chromosome	loops of 30 nm fibers coming off a core of scaffold protein. The typical chromatin structure during the majority of the life of the cell
compacted replicated chromosome	the form of the chromosome in its typical X shaped structure that is visible during prophase of nuclear division and later stages	a fully compacted chromosome in its most heterochromatic state
centromere	a sequence within a chromosome that serves as a binding point that allows replicated sister chromatids to remain connected until anaphase of nuclear division.
telomere	the ends of a linear chromosome composed of the same repeated telomere sequence that does not code for any RNA or protein.
intergenic space	sequence of DNA on the chromosome in between individual genes
gene	a unit of information found on a chromosome.	at the least it serves as a transcriptional unit, used to produce RNA

Created by: jthorns

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