biology

• anticodon

  A sequence of three adjacent nucleotides on a molecule of transfer RNA that is complementary to a particular codon on a messenger RNA molecule
• codon


  A sequence of three adjacent nucleotides in mRNA that codes for one amino acid
• complimentary base pairing

  Specific rules for how the bases pair together. Adenine pairs with thymine with 2 hydrogen bonds. Guanine binds with cytosine with 3 hydrogen bonds. 
• gene

  A section of DNA on a chromosome coding for one or more polypeptide
• genotype

  The genetic composition of an organism
• mitosis

  The type of nuclear division in which the daughter cells have the same number of chromosomes as the parent cell
• phenotype


  The characteristics of an organism, often visible, resulting from both its genotype and the effects of the environment
• phosphodiester bond

  The bond formed by a condensation reaction between the phosphate group of one nucleotide and the pentose sugar of another nucleotide.
• primary structure of a protein

  The sequence of amino acids that makes up the polypeptides of a protein
• secondary structure of a protein

  The way in which the chain of amino acids of the polypeptides of a protein is folded, into alpha helices or beta-pleated sheets
• tertiary structure of a protein

  The folding of a whole polypeptide chain in a precise way into its 3D structure, as determined by the amino acids of which it is composed. Contains hydrogen bonds, ionic bonds, disulfide bridges, and hydrophobic interactions
• quaternary structure of a protein

  A number of polypeptide chains linked together, and sometimes associated with non-protein groups to form a protein
• RNA

  A polynucleotide which contains nucleotides that have the pentose sugar ribose rather than deoxyribose and contains the bases adenine, uracil, guanine or cytosine. Can be either mRNA, tRNA or rRNA.
• RNA polymerase

  Enzyme that joins together nucleotides to form messenger RNA during transcription