NC Biology Essential Standard 3.1

Front

What is a nucleotide?

Back

A nucleotide is the basic building block of nucleic acids, consisting of a nitrogen base, a phosphate group, and a deoxyribose sugar.

Front

What is deoxyribose sugar?

Back

Deoxyribose sugar is a five-carbon sugar molecule that is a component of DNA, differing from ribose by the absence of one oxygen atom.

Front

What is the role of DNA helicase?

Back

DNA helicase is an enzyme that unwinds and unzips the double helix structure of DNA during replication.

Front

What is a mutation?

Back

A mutation is a change in the DNA sequence that can lead to changes in the structure and function of proteins, potentially causing diseases.

Front

How is mRNA transcribed from DNA?

Back

mRNA is transcribed from DNA by complementary base pairing, where adenine pairs with uracil and cytosine pairs with guanine.

Front

What are nitrogen bases?

Back

Nitrogen bases are the building blocks of DNA and RNA, including adenine, thymine, cytosine, and guanine in DNA, and uracil in RNA.

Front

What is the significance of codons?

Back

Codons are sequences of three nucleotides in mRNA that correspond to specific amino acids or stop signals during protein synthesis.

Front

What is the function of DNA polymerase?

Back

DNA polymerase is an enzyme that synthesizes new DNA strands by adding nucleotides to a growing chain during DNA replication.

Front

What is crossing-over?

Back

Crossing-over is a process during meiosis where homologous chromosomes exchange genetic material, leading to genetic diversity.

Front

What is polyploidy?

Back

Polyploidy is a condition in which an organism has more than two complete sets of chromosomes, often seen in plants.