All flashcards
Flashcard 1: Which cellular structure reads genetic messages to assemble proteins?
Answer: Ribosome. This organelle translates mRNA into proteins.
Flashcard 2: What is transcription?
Answer: Copying a gene’s DNA sequence into mRNA. DNA is transcribed to mRNA in the nucleus.
Flashcard 3: What is translation?
Answer: Using mRNA to assemble amino acids into a protein. Ribosomes translate mRNA codons into amino acid chains.
Flashcard 4: Which monomers are linked together to build proteins?
Answer: Amino acids. Proteins are polymers of amino acids joined by peptide bonds.
Flashcard 5: What is a gene, in terms of its role in making proteins?
Answer: A DNA segment that contains instructions for making a protein. Genes are specific DNA sequences that encode proteins.
Flashcard 6: What molecule stores genes in most organisms?
Answer: DNA. Genes are segments of DNA molecules in the nucleus.
Flashcard 7: What is a protein, in the context of gene instructions?
Answer: A chain of amino acids built from genetic instructions. Genes specify the order of amino acids in proteins.
Flashcard 8: What type of RNA carries the copied gene message from nucleus to ribosome?
Answer: mRNA (messenger RNA). This RNA type carries genetic info from DNA to ribosomes.
Flashcard 9: Which RNA type brings specific amino acids to the ribosome during translation?
Answer: tRNA (transfer RNA). Each tRNA carries a specific amino acid to match codons.
Flashcard 10: What is a codon?
Answer: A three-nucleotide sequence on mRNA that codes for an amino acid. Three RNA bases form one unit of the genetic code.
Flashcard 11: What is the relationship between codons and amino acids?
Answer: Each codon specifies one amino acid (or a stop signal). The genetic code links triplet sequences to amino acids.
Flashcard 12: Which option best completes the sequence: DNA → → protein?
Answer: mRNA. mRNA is the intermediate between DNA and proteins.
Flashcard 13: Identify the correct order of processes for gene expression: translation or transcription first?
Answer: Transcription first, then translation. DNA must be transcribed before it can be translated.
Flashcard 14: Which molecule is directly read by the ribosome: DNA or mRNA?
Answer: mRNA. Ribosomes cannot read DNA directly, only RNA.
Flashcard 15: Choose the term that best matches: “instructions for traits” in a cell.
Answer: Genes. Genes contain the coded instructions for inherited traits.
Flashcard 16: What is the main reason different genes can produce different proteins?
Answer: They have different DNA base sequences. Different sequences code for different amino acid orders.
Flashcard 17: If a gene’s DNA sequence changes, what is the most likely effect on the protein?
Answer: The amino acid sequence may change. DNA changes alter the protein's primary structure.
Flashcard 18: What is a mutation, in the context of genes and proteins?
Answer: A change in a gene’s DNA sequence. Mutations alter genetic instructions for proteins.
Flashcard 19: Which molecule stores the genetic instructions for making proteins: DNA, lipid, or glucose?
Answer: DNA. Only DNA contains genes with protein-making instructions.
Flashcard 20: What cell structure reads mRNA and assembles amino acids into a protein?
Answer: A ribosome. Ribosomes are the protein synthesis machinery.
Flashcard 21: Which option best defines a mutation: a change in DNA sequence or a change in amino acid type?
Answer: A change in DNA sequence. Mutations alter genetic code, not just amino acids.
Flashcard 22: Identify the correct sequence of information flow for making a protein.
Answer: DNA → mRNA → protein. Central dogma: genetic info flows from DNA to RNA to protein.
Flashcard 23: What does it mean when two cells have the same DNA but different proteins?
Answer: Different genes are being expressed in each cell. Cells control which genes are turned on or off.
Flashcard 24: Which RNA molecule matches anticodons to codons and brings amino acids to the ribosome?
Answer: tRNA (transfer RNA). tRNA carries amino acids to match mRNA codons.
Flashcard 25: Which molecule carries a gene’s message from the nucleus to a ribosome?
Answer: mRNA (messenger RNA). mRNA is the messenger between DNA and ribosomes.
Flashcard 26: What is the name of the process that uses mRNA to build a protein?
Answer: Translation. Ribosomes translate mRNA codons into amino acid sequences.
Flashcard 27: What is the name of the process that copies a gene’s DNA into mRNA?
Answer: Transcription. DNA is transcribed into mRNA in the nucleus.
Flashcard 28: What is the direct product made from the instructions in a gene?
Answer: A protein (often built as a polypeptide chain). Genes code for proteins through transcription and translation.
Flashcard 29: What is a gene in terms of its role in the cell?
Answer: A segment of DNA that contains instructions to make a protein. Genes are specific DNA sequences that encode proteins.
Flashcard 30: What is an enzyme in terms of macromolecules and function?
Answer: A protein that speeds up chemical reactions. Enzymes are catalytic proteins that lower activation energy.