D1.2 Protein synthesis Flashcards
What unique properties does a protein rely on
which amino acids are used in its construction
the sequence of the amino acids
What catalyses the formation of mRNA
RNA polymerase and the mRNA is formed through the process transcription
what is mRNA
a complementary copy of the genetic code of a gene
what happens to the template strand in transcription
becomes the template for transcription and a single stranded molecule of RNA is formed by complementary base pairing
what happens to the mRNA after transcription
travels into the cytoplasm and passes to ribosomes for synthesis of proteins
in transcription, why are hydrogen bonds between strands broken
allows the double helix of a particular gene to be unwinded
what happens to cells that do not divide during the lifetime of the organism (somatic cells)
their base sequences must be conserved throughout the life of the organism to ensure the ongoing functioning of the cells through transcription and translation
what is transcription in terms of gene expression
the first stage of gene expression where gene can be switched on or off. Organisms can control which gene is expressed
also related to when and where proteins are coded for
where is gene expression completed
in the process of translation at ribosomes where sequence of bases within DNA is expressed to form proteins
what is Transfer RNA responsible for
translating a three base sequence into an amino acid sequence
what is the shape of tRNA
clover leaf shape
there are different tRNAs for each of the 20 amino acids
What is the features of the tRNA
at the end is a site where one particular amino acid can be bonded covalently
At the other end, there is a sequence of three bases called an anticodon, which is complementary to the codon of mRNA that codes for the specific amino acid
how does the amino acid become attached to the tRNA
by an enzyme that requires ATP. they are specific to particular amino acids which is a way of making sure the correct amino acids are used in the sequence
where does mRNA bind to the ribosome
during translation, mRNA binds to the small subunit of the ribosome so two tRNAs can bind simultaneously to the large subunit
how does a ribosome move along the mRNA
moves along reading the codons ( moves in steps of 3)from the start codon
The sequence of the three bases in the codons is complementary to the sequence of bases in the anticodon
what happens in the ribosome, mRNA, tRNA during translation
for each mRNA codon, the complementary anticodon of the tRNA-amino acid complex slots into place and held by hydrogen bonds
the amino acids of the neighbouring tRNA- amino acid complex are joined by peptide linkages which frees the first tRNA
process continues until stop codon is reached
how does similarity of codons and amino acids support idea of common origin of life
process of reading code and protein synthesis is very similar in prokaryotes and eukaryotes.
Referred to as universality of the genetic code
what is degeneracy of the genetic code
most amino acids are coded by more than one codon
degenerate code provides enough different to code for all amino acids and possibility of mutation
due to degeneracy, what is the likely outcome of a mutation in a single base of a codon
likely it does not change the info required for the protein very much, so there is not much of an effect
a codon size of three gives how many combinations of amino acids
64 combinations which has the ability to also cope with any expansion in the number of amino acids during evolution
what is mutation
when there are changes to the sequence of nucleotides in DNA
what is a point mutation
occurs when a single base pair is added, deleted or changed within a molecule
what can happen when an amino acid in the sequence of a protein is changed
the properties of the protein can be altered drastically
what is a common example of a point mutation
sickle cell anaemia
what happens in sickle cell anaemia
base A becomes T which leads to hydrophobic spot in a hydrophilic section of the protein
haemoglobin molecules can the clump together, distorting RBC into sickle chapes, and cannot transport oxygen or move, preventing blood circulation
what do people with sickle cells suffer from
anaemia due to lack of transport of oxygen
some can be mildly anaemic
if someone has both alleles for sickle cell, they can have serious heart and kidney problems