Protein Synthesis 101 Not only does every nucleus of every cell contain the information to make a new you it also contains the information to make all of the proteins needed by cells. Proteins can be used for structure, but they can also be used as hormones or enzymes which send messages through our body and speed up reactions. The main processes in protein synthesis are transcription and translation. If you can remember that you need to write a message before it is translated, then that will help you remember the order of these 2 processes. Transcription happens in the nucleus, at the DNA. RNA polymerase is an enzyme that unzips the DNA and creates a strand of messenger RNA or mRNA to take the ‘message’ of which protein to build out of the nucleus, to the ribosome where proteins are built. RNA is ribonucleic acid…it is similar to DNA, but only has one strand, instead of 2, has ribose sugar, instead of deoxyribose sugar, and has the nitrogen base Uracil instead of Thymine. The process, at the ribosome, is called translation.
Protein Synthesis: The Big Picture
Transcription In the Nucleus
Another Look at Transcription
Translation at the Ribosome
The Genetic Code At the nucleus, DNA is copied to mRNA during transcription. A DNA copies to U in mRNA T DNA copies to A in mRNA RNA G DNA copies to C in mRNA C DNA copies to G in mRNA Remember that C and G are matches in DNA and …. A and T always match in DNA DNA
The Genetic Code uses 3-base triplets to code for the actual amino acids put into a protein, at the ribosome.
Triplets, Codons, and Anticodons. The base letters, from DNA, A,T,G, and C act like letters that make up words. In genetic code, all of the ’words’ are 3 letters long and they are called codons or base- triplets. Out in the ribosomes, an anticodon is part of the transferRNA, or tRNA that carries the amino acids to the process of translation. These 3-letter codes stand for the amino acids found on the genetic code chart. Remember that mRNA and tRNA have the bases A toU, U to A, G to C and C to G.