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ATP: adenosine triphosphate. It is a molecule that carries energy in their links.
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Catalyst: substance that, when added to a chemical reaction, alters its speed.
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Cellular organelles: organic structures and function that are located in the internal environment of the cell.
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Cytoplasm: inside cell set consisting of the cytosol and organelles (except the nucleus).
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Citoskeleton: a network of interconnected filaments that maintain the shape of the cell and allow certain movements, such as emission of pseudopodia. It is also involved in the organization of cellular organelles.
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Cytosol: aqueous environment inside the cell in which organelles float (except the nucleus).
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Chromatin: is the genetic material inside the cell nucleus. It consists of DNA wrapped around a type of proteins called histones, which serve as a regulator in the transcription of it.
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DNA: deoxyribonucleic acid. It is a nucleic acid formed by chains of phosphoric acid and deoxyribose. Deoxyribose is associated with a nitrogenous base (adenine, guanine, thymine or cytosine). It contains the genetic information of the cell.
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Gene: nucleotide sequence (units comprising a molecule of phosphoric acid, other of deoxyribose and one nitrogenous base) that contains the DNA information.
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Microscope: magnifying instrument, optical or electronic, that permits the observation of objects or beings imperceptible to the naked eye.
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Mutation: changes in the genetic material of living beings. The may be negative, positive or innocuous. There are three types of mutation:
- Chromosomic: they make changes in the organization of genes on the chromosomes.
- Genomic: changes in the number of chromosomes of a species.
- Genic: they are non-observable changes in the composition of genes. They a lter nucleotides.
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RNA: ribonucleic acid. It is a copy of the DNA strand capable of leaving the cell nucleus in order to be decoded by ribosomes. It consists of four nitrogenous bases that encode the information: Adenine, Uracil (instead of Thymine from DNA), guanine and cytosine. The RNA is also part of the ribosomes.
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Species: a group of similar individuals that can breed among themselves giving rise to fertile offspring.
