DNA RNA & PROTEIN SYNTHESIS

Question 1

Where in a cell is DNA found?

Answer 1

Nucleus

Question 2

A section of DNA that codes for a protein is called

Answer 2

A gene

Question 3

What 4 bases make up DNA base molecules?
(These are the “rungs of the ladder” between the 2 strands)

Answer 3

The group of these 4 base molecules together is called nitrogenous base:
adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine
AT always pair together
CG always pair together

Question 4

Describe the shape of a DNA molecule

Answer 4

Long, twisted zipper or a double helix. DNA is made of two STRANDS of chemical building blocks. This would be the outside of the ladder that twist around each other to form a double helix. These outside “poles” are made up of sugar and phosphates. The rungs of the ladder point inside on each side of the ladder and connect are called NITROGENOUS BASES (the A-T and C-G)

Question 5

What are the base pairing rules for DNA?

Answer 5

A (adenine) and T (thymine) bind together and C (cytosine) and G (guanine) bind together. AT CG
(The ”rungs of the ladder” pair together between the poles of the double helix)

Question 6

What are the steps of DNA replication?

Answer 6

When a cell needs to build something, like a protein, it takes instructions from its DNA by making a copy called “RNA” (ribonucleic acid), which is like a temporary working blueprint that can leave the cell’s nucleus to get the job done; this process of copying DNA into RNA is called “transcription.”.

Question 7

The Central Dogma (belief or theory) Of Biology

Answer 7

A theory that genetic information flows only in one direction, from DNA, to RNA, to protein,
DNA-RNA-Protein

Question 8

Steps 1 of Reading genes

Answer 8

Transcription
The genetic information in DNA is copied to a molecule of messenger RNA (mRNA).

Question 9

Genes

Answer 9

Genes are short sections of DNA that carry the information that determines your traits

Question 10

Where are genes found in the body?

Answer 10

Genes are found on tiny spaghetti-like structures called chromosomes

Question 11

Where are chromosomes found inside your body?

Answer 11

Chromosomes are found inside cells. Your body is made of billions of cells. Cells are the very small units that make up all living things.

Question 12

Recap

Answer 12

Genes are in Chromosomes
Chromosomes come in pairs
Thousands of genes are in each chromosome
Chromosomes are found in Cells
1. Cells contain
Chromosomes
2. Chromosomes contain
Genes
3. There are thousands of
genes in each
chromosome

Question 13

What material makes up genes and chromosomes?

Answer 13

Short sections of DNA (DEOXYribonucleic Acid) oops

Question 14

Where does original DNA live?

Answer 14

Inside the nucleus of every cell.

Question 15

Each gene in a cell has a job to make proteins. How does the gene know what kind of protein to make?

Answer 15

The DNA in the cell has codes that tells each gene what its job is in making proteins. Bones and teeth, hair and earlobes, muscles and blood, are all made up of proteins.

Question 16

What is DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)

Answer 16

DNA the CARRIER of all our genes. Each person gets one copy of DNA from their mother and one copy from their father. DNA creates a code using four chemicals called nucleotides (NEW-klee-uh-tydes). This code determines which genes a person has. DNA is located inside the chromosomes in the nucleus of a cell. 

Question 17

Nucleotides

Answer 17

The rungs of the DNA ladder (double helix) are made by pairs of nucleotides connecting together adenine (A), thymine (T), guanine (G), and cytosine (C); always A pairs with T and C pairs with G. This is genetic code.

Question 18

Each nucleotide has three parts.

Answer 18

A sugar molecule, a phosphate group, and a base (which is either A, T, C, or G).
The sugar molecule and the phosphate group make up the sides of the DNA structure (ladder poles). The third nucleotide is the base (the rungs between the poles) ATCG
Each side (poles) of the DNA strand is directional. That means, it has two ends that are different from each other. At one end, we find the phosphate group of the first nucleotide in the chain. This is called the 5’ end. At the other end, we find the deoxyribose sugar of the last nucleotide in the chain. This is called the 3’ end.

When the two strands of DNA come together in a double helix, the strands are antiparallel. This means that they point in opposite directions—the 5’ end of one strand aligns with the 3’ end of its partner strand, and vice versa.

Question 19

The pairing order of Nucleotides matter. Like A pairing to T or
T pairing to A, the order determines different things.

Answer 19

The specific sequence of these nucleotides along the DNA strand holds the instructions for your traits, like eye color or hair color

Question 20

RNA
RNA is an acronym for ribonucleic acid

Answer 20

There are many types of nucleic acids in our bodies deoxyribonucleic acid DNA
and ribonucleic acid RNA are just 2 of them.

RNA contains ribose (the R in RNA) while DNA contains deoxyribose (the D in DNA)

The genetic code BASES of DNA and RNA are different. When RNA is transcribed (copied) from DNA it changes the DNA base genetic code Thymine to Uracil.

Question 21

DNA to RNA steps

Answer 21

DNA is the master plan:
1. Think of DNA as a big instruction manual stored safely inside the cell’s nucleus within the chromosomes
2. RNA is the copy:
When the cell needs to build say a protein, it makes a smaller copy of the necessary instructions for building the protein part (like maybe blood) from the DNA. The smaller copy the cell makes is called RNA. Specifically mRNA (messenger RNA):
This type of RNA is transcribed directly from DNA in the chromosomes in the cell’s nucleus and contains the sequence of codons (genetic code) that will be translated into a protein.

Question 22

TRANSCRIPTION is the copying process of copying DNA into RNA

Answer 22

Transcription is like when you copy important information from a book to a smaller note to take with you. The starting of TRANSCRIPTION, the copying sequence of DNA base pairs into the smaller single strand RNA is started by an enzyme called RNA POLYMERASE

Question 23

What happens when the mRNA finishes transcribing (copying) the code from the DNA

Answer 23

It is labeled as Messenger RNA (mRNA) which leaves the nucleus through a small portal then travels to the ribosomes in the cell cytoplasm. This is now known as tRNA. TRANSCRIPTION RNA where the codon (codes AUCG) are read by the ribosome. Each group of 3 codons are TRANSCRIBED into an Amino Acid. Each Amino Acid stick together to form an Amino Acid Chain that will build a protein for blood, hair, muscle etc. This is called Protein Synthesis (building).

Question 24

Where does the mRNA go after it leaves the nucleus?

Answer 24

Once outside the nucleus, the mRNA goes to a structure called a RIBOSOME. The mRNA attaches to the Ribosome and Translation happens on the ribosomes floating in the cytosol, or on the ribosomes attached to the rough endoplasmic reticulum. This Translation is known as tRNA.

Question 25

What is TRANSLATION in RNA molecule (tRNA)

Answer 25

After the TRANSCRIPTION of DNA in the nucleus to make the messengerRNA molecule (mRNA) the mRNA process is complete. The mRNA molecule leaves the nucleus to carry the Transcribed DNA to the RIBOSOME to be read, and turned into amino acids to make different proteins. TRANSLATION or the reading of these mRNAs to make proteins begins. The mRNA has completed its purpose of messengering the mRNA and now it is being TRANSLATED by the ribosome to make the amino acid chain that will become a protein for muscle, blood, skin etc. This translating process is called tRNA. Recall that mRNA molecules are single stranded, and the order of their bases A, U, C, and G is complementary to that in specific portions of the cell's DNA. Each mRNA dictates the order in which amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) should be added to a growing protein as it is synthesized (combined with the correct amino acids). In fact, every amino acid is represented by a three-nucleotide sequence or codon along the mRNA molecule. For example, AGC is the mRNA codon for the amino acid serine, and UAA is a signal to stop translating a protein, also called the stop codon

Question 26

Summary of Proteins and Amino Acids

Answer 26

Proteins and Amino Acids What are amino acids? Amino acids are special organic molecules used by living organisms to make proteins. The main elements in amino acids are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. There are twenty different kinds of amino acids that combine to make proteins in our bodies. Our bodies can actually make some amino acids, but the rest we must get from our food. What are proteins? Proteins are long chains of amino acids. There are thousands of different proteins in the human body. They provide all sorts of functions to help us survive. Structure of a protein Why are they important? Proteins are essential for life. Around 20% of our body is made up of proteins. Every cell in our body uses proteins to perform functions. How are they made? Proteins are made inside cells. When a cell makes a protein it is called protein synthesis. The instructions for how to make a protein are held in DNA molecules inside the cell nucleus. The two major stages in making a protein are called transcription and translation. Transcription The first step in making a protein is called transcription. This is when the cell makes a copy (or "transcript") of the DNA. The copy of DNA is called RNA because it uses a different type of nucleic acid called ribonucleic acid. The RNA is used in the next step, which is called translation. Translation The next step in making a protein is called translation. This is when the RNA is converted (or "translated") into a sequence of amino acids that makes up the protein. The translation process of making the new protein from the RNA instructions takes place in a complex machine in the cell called the ribosome. The following steps take place in the ribosome. The RNA moves to the ribosome and is called the "messenger" RNA. (mRNA) where the "m" is for messenger. The mRNA attaches itself to the ribosome. The ribosome figures out where to start on the mRNA by finding a special three letter "begin" sequence called a codon. The ribosome then moves down the strand of mRNA reading groups of 3 letter cidons. Every three letters represents another amino acid molecule. The ribosome builds a string of amino acids based on the codes in the mRNA. When the ribosome sees the "stop" code UAA, it ends the translation and the protein is complete