Engineering Proteins Glossary
acid hydrolysis |
hydrolysis that is carried out in an acidic solution |
anti-codons |
inverse of a codon on mRNA, these are found on tRNA and bind to codons |
base pairs |
are pairs of bases. Cytosine bonds to guanine and adenine bonds to uracil. C ≡≡≡ G, 3 hydrogen bonds. A === U, 2 hydrogen bonds. |
bases |
one out of four ringed molecules which code for amino acids in RNA and DNA. U, G, A, C = uracil, guanine, adenine, cytosine |
codons |
combinations of 3 bases e.g. ACG |
DNA |
is a permanent record of how to make proteins, stored in the nucleus. DNA codes for RNA. RNA codes for proteins. |
gene |
a segment of DNA responsible for one particular protein |
genome |
the full set of genes of an organism. E. Coli genome contains 4.7 million base pairs, accounting for over 4000 genes and therefore enabling the bacterium to produce over 4000 proteins. |
mRNA |
tells the cell which amino acids to use, and in which order |
phosphate |
a derivative of phosphoric acid which links ribose molecules in RNA. Ribose bonds to bases and phosphates link riboses |
ribose |
sugar molecule which forms the backbone of RNA |
ribosome |
a small particle which catalyses protein production. It collides with mRNA then travels along it, initiating the reactions |
RNA |
carries the primary structure of a protein |
rRNA |
a type of RNA found in ribosomes bound to protein molecules |
triplet code |
three bases code for an amino acid or signal ‘stop’ |
tRNA |
selects and separates relevant amino acids |