ALL THE THINGS Flashcards
What are the 3 RNA species involved in translation?
tRNA
rRNA
mRNA
What function/role do tRNAs play in translation?
function as adaptors between mRNA codons and specific amino acids
What % of total cellular RNA is tRNA?
15%
What function/role do rRNAs play in translation?
form part of the structure of ribosomes and participate in protein synthesis
What % of total cellular RNA is rRNA?
80%
What function/role do mRNAs play in translation?
code for proteins
What % of total cellular RNA do mRNAs play in translation?
5%
How many total codons are there in the Genetic Code?
64
What is the start codon?
AUG
What are the 3 stop codons?
UAA, UAG, UGA
What is the Wobble Position?
means there is “steric freedom” at this site; other bases may pair
Codons that differ in the first two bases will have their own what?
tRNA
How many reading frames are possible for a given mRNA?
3
What causes alteration of the reading frame?
non-N3 insertions/deletions cause alteration of the reading frame
When the tRNA arrives at the mRNA, pairing between what occurs?
pairing between codon and anticodon; antiparallel alignment
Codon is 5’-3’
Anticodon is 3’-5’
When the anticodon has an inosine at position 1, it can pair with how many different codons?
3
Position 1 is always at the 5’ end
What are the 3 different mutations affecting translation?
Missense
Nonsense
Insertions
What types of insertions/deletions are possible?
Frameshift mutations
3n insertions/deletions
What are silent mutations?
DNA base-pair substitutions that do not affect the amino acid coding
What are a special class of insertions/deletions?
splicing errors caused by splice site mutations
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are enzymes that carry out how many coupled reactions?
2
Describe the 2 coupled reactions carried out by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases
(1) An amino acid is activated by reaction with ATP to give an aminoacyl-AMP intermediate
(2) Amino acids are coupled to tRNA’s by an ester linkage between the carboxyl group of the amino acid and the 2’ or 3’ OH of the 3’ A-residue of the tRNA
Why do aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases have to be very precise?
they bridge between 3-letter codon code and specific amino acid
Each aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase is specific for one what and one or more corresponding?
specific for one amino acid and one or more corresponding tRNAs
tRNA specificity is based on what?
specific bases in the anticodon and other bases elsewhere in the tRNA
What is a “Charged tRNA?”
tRNA carrying an amino acid
What are the 2 steps in aminoacylation of tRNA by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases?
(1) amino acid activation by ATP with the release of phosphate
(2) binding of the activated amino acid to terminal A residue of the tRNA
tRNA synthetases can remove what kinds of errors?
coupling errors; if the incorrect amino acid binds the synthesis site, it gets moved to the editing site to be removed and replaced
The Initiator tRNA (tRNAf) is first charged with what?
methionine
A formyl group is transferred to the methionyl - tRNAfMet from what?
N10 - formyltetrahydrofolate
What role does formylation of the amino group play?
the attached methionine can no longer be inserted in the interior of the polypeptide chain
All other methionines added will be devoid of the formyl group
Before translation begins in Prokaryotes, the 3’-end of mRNA must pair with what?
16S rRNA
What is the pairing to the 16S rRNA mediated by in Prokaryotes?
the Shine-Dalgarno sequence
Where is the Shine-Dalgarno sequence in Prokaryotes?
6 bases upstream of the AUG
After pairing with 16S RNA, what else must the mRNA pair with before translation begins in Prokaryotes?
the mRNA AUG must pair with the anticodon of the initiator methionyl-tRNAfMet
What are the initiation factors for Prokaryotic translation?
IF1, IF2, IF3
Multiple internal Shine-Dalgarno sequences are located where?
near the start sites for each of the encoded proteins in a polycistronic mRNA
What are the 2 ribosomal subunits in Prokaryotes?
Small 30S
Large 50S
Together make the 70S ribosome
In the first step of bacterial translation initiation, what does IF3 prevent?
the 30S and 50S subunits from combining prematurely
In the first step of bacterial translation initiation, what does IF1 prevent?
prevents the use of the A site in initiation
In the second step of bacterial translation, what does IF2 do?
binds to an initiator tRNA and controls the entry of tRNA onto the P-site. IF2 bound to GTP binds to the 30S P-site.
IF2 allows addition of the initiator methionyl-tRNAfMet to the P-site
In the third step of bacterial translation, what happens?
50S subunit binds. It hydrolyzes GTP bound to IF2 and leads to the release of all the IFs
During protein synthesis, the nascent protein is always covalently bound to what?
a tRNA
What does bacterial protein synthesis begin with?
a peptidyl-tRNA in the P-site. An aminoacyl-tRNA guided by EF-Tu binds the A-site
In bacterial elongation, with both P & A sites occupied, what is formed and what catalyzes its formation?
a new peptide bond catalyzed by 23S rRNA
23S rRNA is a known what with what kind of activity?
ribozyme with peptidyl-transferase activity
In bacterial elongation, what translocates the ribosomal subunits to move the deacylated tRNA to the E-site?
elongation factor G
Once in the E-site, the deacylated tRNA is free to do what in bacterial elongation?
dissociate
Peptide bond formation in bacterial elongation is followed by shifting a tRNA position on the 50S subunit. What kind of binding state is formed?
hybrid binding state
In the Translocation step of bacterial elongation, energy from the hydrolysis of what bound to what drives the step?
GTP bound to EF-G
Termination of translation in bacteria is by what?
by release factors that are proteins with tRNA shapes
Binding of release factors force the peptidyl transferase to add what to the peptidyl tRNA?
to add water instead of an amino acid