Final Flashcards
What are the six main types of RNA??
- mRNA: messanger rna - codes for proteins
- rRNA: ribosomal rna - structure components of ribosomes
- tRNA: transfer rna - amino acid carriers
- snRNA: small nuclear rna - transcript processing
- Ribozymes
- Small rnas: regulatory
What are transcription and translation?
Transcription: DNA to mRNA
Translation: mRNA to protein
What are the general components of a gene?
Promoter region 5' UTR untranslated region (start of mRNA) Coding sequence of a gene 3' UTR Terminator
What does the core rna polymerase do?
Synthesized RNA but unable to recognize promoters and accurately initiate transcription
Does not contain o70
What does RNA polymerase haloenzyme do?
Association with o confers DNA binding and transcription initiation capability, but o is not needed once polymerization process occurs
What are the phases of prokaryotic transcription?
- Template binding by RNA polymerase (at promoter for accurate initiation of transcription)
- RNA chain initiation (closed to open complex)
- Chain elongation
- Chain termination
What are the three distinct RNA polymerase in the nuclei of eukaryotes ?
- RNAP I: located in nucléoles, synthesized precursors of most rRNA (except 5S rRNA)
- RNAP II: located in nucleoplasm, synthesized mRNA precursors (protein-coding genes), and microRNA
- RNAP III: located in nucleoplasm, synthesized small RNAs such as 5S rRNA, tRNAs, snRNAs
What do general transcription factors do?
Recognize promoters and recruit RNAP to the transcription start site
Comparé RNA processing in prokaryotes and eukaryotes
Prokaryotes:
- transcription and translation are couples
- mRNAs often encode more than one polypeptide
- most mRNAs translated without further modification
Eukaryotes:
- transcription and translation are separate
- primary transcripts generally not functional
- mRNAs generally encode only one polypeptide
- mRNAs undergo extensive modification while still in nucleus
What are the steps to transcription?
- Addition of cap to 5’-end of nascent transcript (protects rna from degradation and required for translation of mRNA)
- Poly(A) tail added to 3’-end (protective function and important for efficient translation of mRNA into protein)
- RNA splicing - coding information is fragmented into exons (introns removed)
What define splice site junction?
5’GU and 3’AG sequences are necessary and generally sufficient to define a junction
How does splicing occur?
Cuts at 5’ and folds over
Cuts 3G’ and is removed forming mature rna and intron is degraded
Describe translation
Carried out by a large multiprotein complex involving protein-nucleic acid interactions
Requires accessory factors
Must be exacted with accuracy
Highly energy consuming
What is a peptide bond?
Bond formed between OH on carboxyl group of one amino acid and the hydrogen on the amino group of another amino acid resulting in the removal of H2O
What are frameshift mutations?
They shift the reading frame for all codons beyond the point of insertion or deletion, almost always abolishing the function of the protein product
What are reading frames?
Section of mRNA coding for protein
Can have 3 potential reading frames but usually only one is used
What are some features of the genetic code?
- All codons have meaning
- Code is unambiguous: each codon specifies one amino acid
- Code is degenerate: every amino acid coded by more than one codon
- Codons representing the same amino acid or chemically similar amino acid tend to be similar in sequence
- Genetic code is universal
What are the two required steps for translation?
- Correct amino acid must be selected for covalent attachment to tRNA by aminoacyl-tRNA synthétase
- Correct aminoacyl-tRNA must pair with an mRNA codon via anticodon
What are molecular translators?
Aminoacyl-tRNA synthétases are the only molecules that read language of both nucleic acid and protein (amino acid)
What is the wobble rule that Francis crick proposed?
First two bases of the codon and the last two bases of the anticodon form canonical A:U or G:C base pairs, but base pairing between third base of codon and first base of anticodon is less stringent
Third position referred to wobble position