Biochemistry WGU C785 - Module 1 Summary and Study guide paper

Hydrophilic - Having an affinity for water. Hydrophobic - substances that are not soluble in water. Hydrophobic substances include large, uncharged particles like fats and oils solvent - A liquid substance capable of dissolving other substances Solute - A substance that is dissolved in a solution. Adhesive - Having the ability to stick to other surfaces. Cohesive - having the ability to stick together Heat of Vaporization - The amount of energy required for the liquid at its boiling point to become a gas Anticodon - Three-base sequence in a transfer RNA molecule base that pairs with a complementary codon in mRNA Central Dogma of Molecular Biology - DNA -> RNA -> Protein This paradigm was formulated by Grancis Crick: First, a portion of the DNA, a gene, is transcribed to produce a complementary strand of RNA; then RNA is translated into protein Codon - A specific sequence of three adjacent bases on a strand of DNA or RNA that provides genetic code information for a particular amino acid DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid, a self-replicating material present in nearly all living organisms as the main constituent of chromosomes. It is the carrier of genetic information. Dominant Allele - an allele that dominates or masks the presence of another allele and is fully expressed Dominant trait - the trait that is expressed from a dominant allele Recessive allele - the trait that is completely masked and is not expressed Recessive trait - a genetic factor that is blocked by the presence of a dominant factor Epigenetics - the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change Exons - expressed sequence of DNA; codes for a protein Gene Expression - process by which a gene produces its product and the product carries out its function Histones - they are the chief protein components of chromatin, acting as spools around which DNA winds, and playing a role in gene regulation Inheritance - is the passage of hereditary traits from one generation to the next Introns - Non-coding segments of nucleic acid that lie between coding sequences. Intervening sequences in a newly made mRNA molecule that are removed by splicing before the mRNA is released into the cytoplasm for protein synthesis mRNA - messenger RNA; type of RNA that carries instructions from DNA in the nucleus to the ribosome Peptide Bond - covalent bond formed between amino acid