Key words for DNA and protein synthesis.

Below is a list of key words that are essential for you to know. It is
expected that you know these terms and can explain what each of them
means.

Nucleotide – These are the basic building blocks of DNA and RNA. Each monomer makes
up the polymer that is DNA. Each one consists of a sugar, a nitrogen-containing base and a
phosphate group. Each nucleotide joins together using a condensation reaction between the
phosphate and the sugar of the next nucleotide.

Purine – Guanine and Adenine. Double ring structure.

Pyrimidine – Cytosine and Thymine. Single ring structure.

Complementary base pairing – the term given to A joining with T and C with G.

Double helix – this is the shape that DNA coils itself into for storage and strength.

Chromosomes – This is the storage form of DNA. The DNA is wrapped around a protein
called Histone.

Semi-conservative replication – Each original strand forms a template for two new DNA
molecules, each containing one original strand and one new strand created from free
complementary nucleotides in the nucleus.

DNA Polymerase – Catalyses the polymerisation of nucleotides to create RNA or DNA.

Triplet Code – Each three base pairs code for an Amino Acid. For example GGC will code
for one amino acid and CTA will code for another.

Non – Overlapping – Each triplet in DNA specifies one amino acid. Each base is part of
only one triplet – it does not code for another amino acid.

Degenerate code – There are more base pair codes (64) than amino acids (20), so some
amino acids have more than one triplet code.

Codon – The mRNA sequence that matches the DNA is called a codon. For example, CCG in
DNA would be the codon GGC in mRNA.

Anticodon – An anticodon is the triplet code of tRNA that matches the codon on the mRNA.

Intron and exons - DNA is made of introns and exons. The introns are considered to be
junk DNA as they code for nothing. They need to be cut out when mRNA is made.

Transcription – This is the process of creating mRNA from DNA

Translation – This is “Translating” the mRNA code into something useful – protein
synthesis.

Start and Stop codons – mRNA has start and stop codons to tell the Ribosome when to
start and stop expressing the gene. Otherwise, there would be a large chain of useless amino
acids.
Sense strand – this is the strand of DNA that is used as the template for mRNA. The other
strand is known as an antisense strand.