The Molecular
Basis of Inheritance
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| 431856450 | DNA replication | the process of making a copy of DNA | |
| 431856451 | transformation | the transfer of genetic material in the form of DNA fragments from one cell to another or from one organism to another | |
| 431856452 | bacteriophage | a virus that infects bacteria | |
| 431856453 | virus | ultramicroscopic infectious agent that replicates itself only within cells of living hosts | |
| 431856454 | double helix | two strands of nucleotides wound about each other; structure of DNA | |
| 431856455 | antiparallel | The opposite arrangement of the sugar-phosphate backbones in a DNA double helix. | |
| 431856456 | semiconservative | method of replication that implies that each new strand of DNA is half original and half new | |
| 431856457 | origin of replication | Site where the replication of a DNA molecule begins, consisting of a specific sequence of nucleotides. | |
| 431856458 | replication fork | A Y-shaped region on a replicating DNA molecule where new strands are growing. | |
| 431856459 | helicase | an enzyme that untwists the double helix at the replication forks, separating the two parental strands and making them available as template strands | |
| 431856460 | single strand binding proteins | Proteins that bind to and stabilize the signle strands of DNA exposed when helicase unwinds the double helix in preparation for replication. | |
| 431856461 | topoisomerase | A protein that functions in DNA replication, helping to relieve strain in the double helix ahead of the replication fork. | |
| 431856462 | primer | An already existing RNA chain bound to template DNA to which DNA nucleotides are added during DNA synthesis., a short segment of DNA that serves as the starting point for DNA synthesis | |
| 431856463 | primase | An enzyme that joins RNA nucleotides to make the primer. | |
| 431856464 | DNA polymerase | enzyme involved in DNA replication that joins individual nucleotides to produce a DNA molecule | |
| 431856465 | leading strand | the new continuous complementary DNA strand synthesized along the template strand in the mandatory 5' --> 3' direction | |
| 431856466 | lagging strand | A discontinuously synthesized DNA strand that elongates in a direction away from the replication fork. | |
| 431856467 | okazaki fragments | Short fragments of DNA that are a result of the synthesis of the lagging strand during DNA replication. | |
| 431856468 | DNA ligase | an enzyme that eventually joins the sugar-phosphate backbones of the Okazaki fragments | |
| 431856469 | mismatch repair | The cellular process that uses special enzymes to fix incorrectly paired nucleotides. | |
| 431856470 | nuclease | An enzyme that hydrolyzes DNA and RNA into their component nucleotides. | |
| 431856471 | nucleotide excision repair | The process of removing and then correctly replacing a damaged segment of DNA using the undamaged strand as a guide. | |
| 431856472 | telomeres | Repeated DNA sequences at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. | |
| 431856473 | telomerase | An enzyme that catalyzes the lengthening of telomeres. The enzyme includes a molecule of RNA that serves as a template for new telomere segments. | |
| 431856474 | histones | protein molecules around which DNA is tightly coiled in chromatin | |
| 431856475 | nucleosomes | bead-like structures formed by histones and DNA, 10nm | |
| 431856476 | nucleoid | A dense region of DNA in a prokaryotic cell. | |
| 431856477 | chromatin | long strands of DNA found in the eukaryotic cell nucleus; condense to form chromosomes | |
| 431856478 | 30nm fiber | nucleosomes associate with each other to form a more compact structure - results from interactions between adjacent histone H1 proteins | |
| 431856479 | looped domains | 30-nm fiber forms loops that attach to a protein chromosome scaffold, making up a 300-nm fiber | |
| 431856480 | heterochromatin | Nontranscribed eukaryotic chromatin that is so highly compacted that it is visible with a light microscope during interphase | |
| 431856481 | euchromatin | a region of DNA that is uncoiled and undergoing active transcription into RNA |
