Chapter 17 Flashcards
gene expression
the process by which DNA directs protein synthesis, two stages: transcription and translation
information content of DNA is in the form of _____ _____ of _____
specific sequences of nucleotides
The DNA inherited by an organism leads to specific traits by….
dictating the synthesis of proteins
RNA is the bridge between ____ and ____ for which they code
genes and proteins
transcription
the synthesis of RNA under the direction of DNA
Translation
the synthesis of a polypeptide using information in the mRNA
Ribosomes
the sites of translation
in a eukaryotic cell, the nuclear envelope separates _____ from _____
transcription and translation
in prokaryotes, _____ of mRNA can begin before ____ has finished
translation
transcription
primary transcript
the initial RNA transcript from any gene prior to processing
central dogma
the concept that cells are governed by a cellular chain of command: DNA -> RNA -> protein
how many amino acids are there?
20
how many necleotide bases are in DNA
4
triplet code
a series of nonoverlapping, three-nucleotide words… the flow of information from gene to protein is based on these triplet codes
The words of a gene are transcribed into complementary nonoverlaping three-nucleotide of words of ____
—these words are then translated into a chain of ____ ___, forming a polypeptide
mRNA
amino acids
template strand
- happens during transcription
- provides a template for ordering the sequence of complementary nucleotides in an RNA transcript
- **the template strand is always the same strand for a given gene
codons
during translation, the mRNA base triplets are codons (read in the 5’ to 3’ direction)
each codon specifies the ____ _____ to be placed at the corresponding position along a polypeptide
amino acid
how many triplets signal for “stop” to end translation
3 triplets
true or false:
genetic code is nearly universal, shared by the simplest bacteria to the most complex animals
true
what is the first stage of gene expression
transcription
RNA polymerase
RNA synthesis is catalzyed by RNA polymerase which pries the DNA strands apart and hooks together the RNA nucleotides
- RNA is complementary to the DNA template
- RNA synthesis follows same base pairing other than thymine is now uracil
promoter
the DNA sequence where RNA polymerase attaches
terminator
the sequence signaling the end of transcription
transcription unit
the stretch of DNA that is transcribed
what are the three stages of transcription
- initiation
- elongation
- termination
start point (transcription in eukaryotic cells)
promoters signal this trancriptional start point and usually extend several dozen nucleotide pairs upstream of the start point