| A | B |
|---|
| A long molecule in the shape of a double helix and made up of nucleotides; contains genetic instructions | DNA |
| The type of molecule that makes up DNA and RNA; contains a sugar, a phosphate group, and a nitrogen base | Nucleotide |
| The two scientists who discovered the structure and shape of DNA | Watson and Crick |
| A single strand of DNA tightly coiled around special proteins | Chromosome |
| The order of nucleotides that determines which protein is made | Nucleotide sequence |
| A section of DNA that carries the information on how to make one protein | Gene |
| Information is transferred from DNA to RNA to proteins, but once the information is in the form of a protein, the transfer is not reversed | Central Dogma of Molecular Biology |
| The process of copying a strand of DNA | DNA Replication |
| A single strand of nucleotides; different types are used to translate instructions from DNA into making proteins | RNA |
| The process occurring in the nucleus of a cell that copies the instructions from a part of DNA onto a strand of messenger RNA | Transcription |
| A type of RNA that transfers the code from DNA in the nucleus to the cytoplasm | Messenger RNA |
| A sequence of three nucleotide bases that represents the code for one amino acid | Codon |
| The process occurring in the cytoplasm of a cell that builds proteins | Translation |
| A type of RNA that "reads" the codons from messenger RNA | Ribosomal RNA |
| A type of RNA that carries an amino acid and transfers it to the protein chain being assembled in the ribosome | Transfer RNA |
| A sequence of three nucleotide bases that indicates the end of protein synthesis | Stop codon |
| Mistakes made in the DNA | Mutations |
| A mutation that changes one gene | Gene mutation |
| A type of gene mutation that occurs if a nucleotide is added, deleted, or changed in a nucleotide sequence; may result in one or more wrong amino acids being added to a protein | Point mutation |
| A gene mutation that occurs when a single nucleotide is added or deleted and causes a shift in how the codons are read; may result in one or more wrong amino acids being added | Frameshift mutation |
| A mutation caused when a chromosome or a part of a chromosome is duplicated, deleted, or attached incorrectly | Chromosomal mutation |
| A chromosomal mutation that occurs if a broken piece of a chromosome is reattached backwards | Inverson |
| A chromosomal mutation that occurs if a broken piece of a chromosome reattaches to another chromosome | Translocation |
| External things that can change DNA, such as radiation or chemicals | Mutagen |
| A mutagen that is directly involved in causing cancer | Carcinogen |
| The term used when a chromosome doesn't separate correctly during meiosis; may result in a chromosomal mutation in offspring | Nondisjunction |
| A chromosomal mutation in which the affected person has three copies of chromosome 21 instead of just two; trisomy 21 | Down's syndrome |
| A picture of an individual's chromosomes | Karyotype |
| The study of DNA | Molecular genetics |
| The field of manipulating and changing an organism's DNA | Genetic engineering |
| The process of separating DNA from the rest of the cell | DNA extraction |
| Enzymes used to cut DNA into pieces | Restriction enzymes |
| A technology that separates DNA fragments so that they can be analyzed | Gel electrophoresis |
| A technique that uses gel electrophoresis to analyze a person's unique pattern of DNA | DNA fingerprinting |
| DNA that is formed by joining a short piece of DNA from one organism to the DNA of another organism | Recombinant DNA |
| The process used to place recombinant DNA back into a living cell | Transformation |
| Circular pieces of DNA found in bacterial cells | Plasmids |
| A term used to describe an organism that contains the DNA from a different organism | Transgenic |
| The process of creating an organism that is genetically identical to a donor organism | Reproductive cloning |
