Biomolecules Flashcard

Front

What is an amino acid?

Back

Amino acids are organic compounds that serve as the building blocks of proteins. They contain an amino group, a carboxyl group, and a side chain that is unique to each amino acid.

Front

What does mRNA stand for?

Back

mRNA stands for messenger RNA, which is a type of RNA that carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome for protein synthesis.

Front

What is the role of ribosomal RNA (rRNA)?

Back

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a type of RNA that, along with proteins, makes up the ribosomes, which are the sites of protein synthesis in the cell.

Front

What is the function of transfer RNA (tRNA)?

Back

Transfer RNA (tRNA) is responsible for bringing amino acids to the ribosome during protein synthesis, matching the amino acid to the corresponding mRNA codon.

Front

What is a codon?

Back

A codon is a sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that corresponds to a specific amino acid or stop signal during protein synthesis.

Front

What is the complementary RNA base for Cytosine (C)?

Back

The complementary RNA base for Cytosine (C) is Guanine (G).

Front

What is the difference between DNA and RNA?

Back

DNA is double-stranded and contains the sugar deoxyribose and the base thymine (T), while RNA is single-stranded and contains the sugar ribose and the base uracil (U).

Front

What is the significance of Uracil (U) in RNA?

Back

Uracil (U) replaces thymine (T) in RNA and pairs with adenine (A) during the formation of RNA from DNA.

Front

What is protein synthesis?

Back

Protein synthesis is the process by which cells generate new proteins, involving transcription of DNA to mRNA and translation of mRNA to amino acids.

Front

What is the genetic code?

Back

The genetic code is the set of rules by which information encoded in mRNA is translated into proteins, consisting of codons that specify amino acids.