TECHNOLOGICAL INSTITUTE OF THE PHILIPPINES

363 P. CASAL ST., QUIAPO, MANILA

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND ARCHITECTURE

CHEMICAL ENGINEREENG DEPARTMENT

ASSIGNMENT IN MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

DEFINITION OF TERMS

SUBMITTED BY:

PELAGIO, MARIA MIKAELA VERGA

5TH/CH52FC1

SUBMITTED TO:

ENGR. LINA DELA CRUZ

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

 CHE 513: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

DEFINITION OF TERMS

1. Gene expression
Gene expression is the process by which information from agene is used in
the synthesis of a functional gene product. These products are often proteins, but in
non-protein coding genes such as transfer RNA (tRNA) or small nuclear RNA
(snRNA) genes, the product is a functional RNA.

2. Gene transcription
Transcription is the first step of gene expression, in which a particular
segment of DNA is copied into RNA (especially mRNA) by the enzyme RNA
polymerase. Both DNA and RNA are nucleic acids, which use base pairs of
nucleotides as a complementary language.

3. Gene translation
In translation, messenger RNA (mRNA) is decoded by a ribosome, outside the
nucleus, to produce a specific amino acid chain, or polypeptide. The polypeptide
later folds into an active protein and performs its functions in the cell.

4. Ribosomes
Ribosomes are the protein builders or the protein synthesizers of the cell.
They are like construction guys who connect one amino acid at a time and build long
chains. Ribosomes are special because they are found in both prokaryotes and
eukaryotes.

5. Triplet code
The standard version of the genetic code, in which a sequence of three
nucleotides in a DNA or RNA molecule codes for a specific amino acid in protein
synthesis.

6. RNA polymerase
RNA polymerase is an enzyme that is responsible for copying a DNA
sequence into an RNA sequence, during the process of transcription.

7. Introns
Introns are noncoding sections of an RNA transcript, or the DNA encoding it,
that are spliced out before the RNA molecule is translated into a protein. The
sections of DNA (or RNA) that code for proteins are called exons.

8. Exons
An exon is any part of a gene that will encode a part of the final mature RNA
produced by that gene after introns have been removed by RNA splicing. The term
exon refers to both the DNA sequence within a gene and to the corresponding
sequence in RNA transcripts.
 CHE 513: MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

9. RNA splicing
RNA splicing is a modification of
the nascent pre-messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) transcript in which introns are
removed and exons are joined prior to translation.

10. Splicesomes
A spliceosome is a large and complex molecular machine found primarily
within the splicing speckles of the cell nucleus of eukaryotic cells. The spliceosomeis
assembled from snRNAs and protein complexes. The spliceosome removes introns
from a transcribed pre-mRNA, a type of primary transcript.

11. Ribozymes
A ribozyme is a ribonucleic acid (RNA) enzyme that catalyzes a chemical
reaction. The ribozyme catalyses specific reactions in a similar way to that of
protein enzymes. Also called catalytic RNA,ribozymes are found in the ribosome
where they join amino acids together to form protein chains

12. Alternative RNA splicing

Alternative splicing, or differential splicing, is a regulated process during
gene expression that results in a single gene coding for multiple proteins. In this
process, particular exons of a gene may be included within or excluded from the
final, processed messenger RNA (mRNA) produced from that gene

13. Polyribosomes
A polyribosome (or polysome) is a complex of an mRNA molecule and two or
more ribosomes that act translate mRNA instructions into polypeptides.

14. Mutations
A mutation is a change that occurs in our DNA sequence, either due to
mistakes when the DNA is copied or as the result of environmental factors such as
UV light and cigarette smoke. Over a lifetime our DNA? can undergo changes or
'mutations?' in the sequence of bases?, A, C, G and T.

15. Point mutations

A single point mutation can change the whole DNA sequence. Changing one
purine or pyrimidine may change the amino acid that the nucleotides code for. Point
mutations may arise from spontaneous mutations that occur during DNA
replication.