Useful Molecular Biology Terms
May 23rd, 2008 by Study Abroad
Not many people knows about molecular biology. Many terms in molecular biology are unknown. Lets see and find out some useful terms in this kind of biology.
Aerobic Metabolism: the process of generating energy in the precence of oxygen.
Alpha helix : a coiled structure within a protein.
Amino acid : a building block of proteins, of which 20 varieties are used in the body.
ATP : adenosine triphosphate, an intracellular energy storage molecule (and one of the four building blocks of DNA).
Beta Sheet : a flat structure within a protein.
Catalyst : a substance that brings about a chemical reaction without itself being used up or changed.
Cell : The basic unit of a living organism.
Chromosome : packaged bundle of genetic material containing a single strand of DNA.
Citric acid cycle : the process of generating energy from the breakdown of carbohdyrates, proteins and fats in the presence of oxygen.
Cytoplasm : the fluid within a cell.
DNA : deoxyribonucleic acid, the molecule that encodes generic information, including instructions for building all the proteins required by a living organism.
Electron transport chain : a series of molecules that pass electrons between them in a particular direction.
Enzyme : a catalyst made from protein.
Eukaryotic : having cells with a nucleus within which generic material is contained.
Gene : a section of DNA holding a basic “instruction” for building a cell, typically the encoded structure of a single protein.
Genome : all the genes encoded by the DNA of a single organism.
Glycolysis: the process of splitting sugar molecules to generate energy.
Hydrogen bond : a relatively week chemical bond between a hydrogen atom and other kinds of atom on a molecule.
Junk DNA : regions of the DNA sequence with no apparent function.
Mitochondrion : an organelle that is the energy powerhouse of the cell.
Mitosis: the process of dividing the genome during cellular division.
Nucleus : the organelle within the cell primarily concerned with DNA regulation, transcription and replication.
Mitotic spindle : the protein scaffolding on which chromosomes are arranged prior to cell division.
Peptide bond : the link between amino acids in a polypeptide chain.
Polypeptide : a group of amino acids that are part of protein sequence.
Protein : a biological molecule composed of amino acids arranged in a specific sequence.
Replication : the process of copying the DNA in a cell prior to cell division.
Ribosome : an assembly of proteins and nucleic acids thats acts as a machine for assemblying amino acids into proteins according to a genetically specified sequence.
RNA : ribonucleic acid, a type of molecule with several functions in the cell that is assembled from genetic instructions on DNA.
Transcrition : the process of assembling RNA according to the sequence of a local region of DNA.
Translation : the process of assembling a protein molecule according to sequence of a local region of RNA code.