DLA 3B Translation Flashcards
What is a codon?
Each 3 consecutive mRNA bases from the genetic code for an amino acid
Codon of mRNA will complementary bond to ________
Anticodon of tRNA
Why does translation depend on adaptor molecules?
The nucleotides of mRNA do not directly recognize the amino acids they code for, so adapter molecules that recognize the nucleotides in mRNA and binds to them with an amino acid attached to another site of the molecule
Describe the regions of tRNA
Some regions of the tRNA are paired and the unpaired regions form 3 loops
Each kind of tRNA carries one of the 20 amino acids linked to the 3’ end
At one loop 3 unpaired base form an anticodon(complementary to codons)
This complementary base pairing brings the correct amino acid into the growing polypeptide
What is the function of aminoacyl tRNA synthetase?
- It couples Particular amino acid to its corresponding tRNA
- Different aminoacyl tRNA synthetase for each amino acid so the enzyme “recognizes “ the codons
How many codons do rarely used amino acids have?
They have one or 2 codons
- Tryptophan is very rare in proteins(one codon UGG)
- Methionine is always the first amino acid in protein synthesis( AUG)(very specific)
How many codons do common amino acids have?
Commonly used amino acids have multiple codons, 4 or more
What is “wobble base pairing” between codons and anticodons?
- Theory why so many amino acids have more than one codon
- there must be accurate base pairings in the first two positions of the codon, but there is tolerance for mismatch at the third base called “wobble base pairing”
What are the 3 stop codons?
UAA- U are away
UAG- U are gone
UGA - U go away
What is the start codon?
AUG
Explain the possibility of 3 reading frames for one mRNA sequence
The same mRNA can sequence and specify 3 different amino acid sequences, it depends on the reading frame
Only one is real for your protein
DNA sequencing has been used to look for genes since…
1977
How do you know if a region of DNA is a gene?
- By determining the sequence of DNA we find exons
- Determine the RNA sequence
- Scan for base pairs that will make a minimum of 50 amino acids in a row without a stop codon
- this will be our open reading frame
What scientists worked on ribosomes since the 1950’s and won theNobel prize in 1974?
- Albert Claude
- George Emil Palade
- Christian de Duve
What is common about both eukaryotic and prokaryotic ribosomes ?
- Both made of a large subunit and a small subunit
- Both subunits: rRNA plus proteins