| Alpha-helix
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The spiral structure that is formed in the secondary structure of a protein.
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| Allele
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A version of a gene. For the eyecolor gene for instance there is an allele for blue eyes and an allele for brown eyes. So two versions. The allele that is dominant is expressed.
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| Amino acids
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Amino acids are the building blocks of a protein. They are coded by words of 3 bases (codon). There are 20 different amino acids.
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| Bases
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The 4 characters that form the alphabet of DNA: A (Adenine), T (Thymine), C (Cytosine) an G (Guanine). In RNA T is replaced by U (Uracil).
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| Base pairs
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The bases A, T, G and C form always the same pairs. A with T and C with G. In RNA A is paired with U (see bases).
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| Beta-sheet
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The plain-forming structure that is formed in the secondary structure of a protein.
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| Centromere
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The middle part of the chromosome that holds the 2 chromatides together.
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| Chromatides
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The two identical parts of a chromosome, held together by the centromere.
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| Chromosome
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The X-forming structure in which DNA is rolled. Each person has 46.
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| Codon
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A codon is a word of 3 bases that codes for an amino acid. It is also called a triplet.
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| Complement
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The mirror image of a DNA or RNA strand, when looking at the basepair rules.
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| Gene
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A gene is the carrier of a genetic property. It is the part of the DNA that codes for 1 protein.
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| Protein
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Chemical component that exists of amino acids. Proteins can have different functions, like for instance a structural protein or an enzyme. Often the function is related to the unique form because they fold in different ways.
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| Ribosomes
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A ribosome is a structure in the cell that carries out the translation from mRNA to protein.
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| RNA
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RNA is the structure that transports the genetic material and is therefore also called messenger RNA (mRNA). RNA looks like DNA, but it has important differences: It contains another sugar (ribose instead of deoxyribose), it is singlestranded and it has as 4th base Uracil (U) in stead of Thymine (T).
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| Startcodon
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The codon AUG, that codes for the amino acid Methionine. This is the starting signal for a gene that results in a protein.
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| Stopcodon
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There are 3 codons that signal the end of a gene: UAA, UAG an UGA. These codons do not code for an amino acid, but are just a stopsignal for the gene.
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