Understanding Gene Expression

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Gene Expression

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Process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize a functional gene product, often proteins.

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Transcription

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First step of gene expression; DNA is copied into RNA.

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Translation

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Process where ribosomes synthesize proteins using mRNA.

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mRNA

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Messenger RNA; carries genetic information from DNA to ribosome.

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RNA Polymerase

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Enzyme that synthesizes RNA from a DNA template.

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Promoter

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DNA sequence where RNA polymerase binds to initiate transcription.

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Codon

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Sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that specifies an amino acid.

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tRNA

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Transfer RNA; brings amino acids to ribosome during translation.

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Ribosome

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Cellular structure where protein synthesis occurs.

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Introns

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Non-coding sequences in RNA that are removed before translation.