1.5 Protein Synthesis Flashcards
What is mRNA?
The copy of a gene needed to get the information from the DNA to the cell cytoplasm where proteins are synthesised
Also called messenger RNA
What is mRNA built of?
Like DNA, mRNA is a polymer of nucleotides, but its shorter and only a single strand
What does mRNA use instead of thymine as a base?
Uracil (U)
Uracil (U) still pairs with a_______ (A)
Adenine
What are the 3 differences dividing mRNA and DNA?
- It’s much shorter than DNA
- It’s only a single strand, not double like DNA
- It has a uracil base instead of thymine
How is mRNA made?
RNA polymerase will move along the DNA strand,read the bases and make a mRNA strand using complementary base pairing.
Base _________ ensures the mRNA is complementary to the opposite DNA strand
pairing
What is the strand of DNA that we use to make a RNA strand out of called?
A template strand
When we have the mRNA strand, it is free to leave the _______ and head to the _________
Nucleus, ribosome
What is the function of a ribosome?
To assemble proteins from amino acids
A chain of amino acids is called a ____________
Polypeptide
A section of DNA that codes for a protein is called a _____
Gene
How many bases are needed to code for one amino acid?
3
What is the function of a ribosome?
To assemble proteins from amino acids
How are proteins made? (4 steps)
- The DNA contains the gene coding for the protein
- In the nucleus, the 2 DNA strands unzip. Base pairing ensures the mRNA is complementary to the opposite DNA strand
- The mRNA molecule then moves out of the nucleus and into the cytoplasm, where it attaches to a ribosome
- Amino acids are then joined together in the correct order by the ribosome (tRNA molecules contain anticodons which attach to the codons and eventually leave behind the amino acids), following the order of triplets in the mRNA. This makes the protein coded for by a gene.
