Activator Proteins - the enzymes that mark the enhancer region or the end of a gene.

Adenine - a nitrogenous base that is found in DNA and RNA.  Its complimentary base is Thymine.

Allele - A gene on a chromosome that codes for the same characteristic as a gene on the other chromosome in the pair.  Each allele can be dominant or recessive.  They are usually denoted by a capital letter (T, R, C - dominant) or a lower case letter (t, r, c - recessive).

Amino Acids - the subunits of a polypeptide chain or a protein.  Many amino acids bonded together form a polypeptide chain which becomes a protein.

Anti-codon - a group of three bases in tRNA that are complimentary to a certain codon.

Asexual Reproduction -  reproduction that requires only one organism

Basal Factors - the enzymes that mark the promoter region or the beginning of a gene.

Bending Protein - the protein that runs along the DNA strand halfway between the promoter and enhancer regions of a gene.  Once at this halfway spot, it bends the DNA strand so that the basal factors and the activator proteins are touching; this stimulates transcription.

Cells - the basic units of life.  There are organisms that range from one cell to trillions of cells.

Centromere - the center point where a chromosome pair bonds together.

Chromosome - a long strand of DNA bundled together.  Found in the nucleus or nuclear area.

Codon - a group of three bases in an RNA strand.  Each codon stands for a certain amino acid.

Cytoplasm - liquid in the cell that holds all of the parts of the cell.

Cytosine - a nitrogenous base that is found in DNA and RNA.  Its complimentary base is Guanine.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid - the nucleic acid containing deoxyribose as its sugar.  DNA is short for deoxyribonucleic acid.

Deoxyribose - the sugar that deoxyribonucleic acid is made with.

Differentiated - Specialized; having a function

Dihybrid Cross - a cross of an organism dealing with two characteristics.

DNA -  Deoxyribonucleic Acid - the material that codes for amino acids which form proteins, which in turn carry out functions of the cell.

DNA Helicase - the enzyme that unwinds the DNA strand.

DNA Ligase - the enzyme that bonds the Okazaki fragments together.

DNA Polymerase - the enzyme that bonds nucleotides to the DNA strand during replication.  It does its work after DNA helicase begins working.

Egg Cell - Female reproductive cell containing half the DNA required to create a complete organism.

Embryo - An animal early in its development; different body parts can be seen, but are not all present or fully formed.

Enhancer Region - the region of the DNA strand that is the end of a gene.

Eukaryotic - cell with a nucleus. (Root - true cell)

Gamete - Generic term for an egg or a sperm cell

Genes - sections of the DNA strand that code for certain characteristics.

Genome - The complete set of DNA contained in an organism's cell

Genotype - the gene type of an organism; the alleles of a certain characteristic:  TT, Tt, tt.

Guanine - a nitrogenous base that is found in DNA and RNA.  Its complimentary base is Cytosine.

Heterozygous - if an organism's genotype is heterozygous it has one dominant gene and one recessive gene.  The genotype would be Tt.

Homozygous - if an organism's genotype is homozygous it has on both chromosomes, either the dominant or the recessive genes for a certain characteristic.  So, if the pea plants has a homozygous dominant genotype, it has two dominant genes - TT.  If the pea plant has a homozygous recessive genotype, it has two recessive genes - tt.

Introns - in RNA, the sections of the strand that are cut out because it is uneeded; in DNA, A segment with an unknown purpose - accounts for 95% of the cell's DNA

Junk DNA - uneeded DNA that is does not help code for anything.

Karyotype - picture of all the chromosomes in the cell lined up in their pairs.

Mitosis - when cells divide to make two daughter cells from the original mother cell.

Mitochondrial DNA - DNA found in the cellular organelles called mitochondria; identical to mother's mitochondrial DNA

Monohybrid Cross - a cross of an organism dealing with only one characteristic.

Morology - the study of foolish and nonsensical talking

Mutation - a change of bases in the DNA strand that can cause a disease or abnormalty to the body.

Nucleic Acid - the chemical compound found naturally in cells that is responsible for heredity.  DNA and RNA are nucleic acids.

Nucleotide - a nucleotide is the basic unit of a polynucleotide chain.  It is made up of a phosphate, a nitrogenous bases, uracil, adenine, guanine, or cytosine, and a sugar that is either dexoyribose or ribose.

Nucleus - area inside of Eukaryotic cells that holds the chromosomes in the cell.

Okazaki Fragments - the fragments of a DNA strand that are not bonded with each other.

Organism - critter; generic term for anything alive, whether it is plant, animal, or bacteria.

Oviduct - place where early mammal embryos grow in nature

Phenotype - the way an organisms genes express themselves; either short, tall, green, etc (physical type).

Plasmid - ring of "extra" DNA found outside the nucleus in many single-celled organisms

Polynucleotide Chain - a polynucleotide chain is made up of many nucleotides and forms nucleic acids.  DNA strands are long polynucleotide chains.

Prokaryotic - cell without a nucleus, has a nuclear area.

Promoter Region - the region of the DNA strand that is the beginning of a gene.

Proteins - material that carries out the functions of the cell.  Also forms the structure of certain cells.

Purine - adenine and guanine are both purines.  It is a larger structure than pyrimidines.

Pyrimidine - thymine and cytosine are both pyrimidines.  It is a smaller structure than purines.

Recessive Gene - a gene that requires a second identical gene in order to be expressed

Replication - the process of duplicating or making a copy of DNA during cell division.  This results in two DNA strands.

Ribose - the sugar that ribonucleic acid is made with.

Restriction Enzyme -  an enzyme that cuts DNA at specific base pair sequences; this sequence varies from restriction enzyme to restriction enzyme

Replicate - make identical copies of

Ribosome - a component of the cell that read mRNA and bonds an amino acid chain together.

RNA - ribonucleic acid - the chemical that is made with ribose and the bases of uracil, cytosine, adenine, or guanine.  It is made as a copy of the of DNA during transcription the process of protein synthesis

RNA Polymerase - the enzyme that unzips DNA and make a complimentary RNA strand.

Selective Breeding - breeding an organism that has a desirable trait with another so that the desirable trait is passed to the next generation.

Spliceosome - the enzyme that cuts introns out of the mRNA strand.

Surrogate Mother - Female in whom an embryo is artificially implanted to be carried to term

Thymine - A nitrogenous base that is found in DNA but not in RNA.  Its complimentary base is Adenine.  Uracil replaces it in RNA.

Transcription - the process of the cell copying DNA to RNA and reading the RNA to make a protein.

Uracil - a nitrogenous base only found in RNA, not DNA.  It takes the place of thymine in RNA.

Virulent - harmful or deadly.  A virulent pneumonia is deadly and harmful.