Lecture 16 Flashcards
What is the universal genetic code formed of?
61 amino acid coding codons
3 stop codons
Why is the universal genetic code degenerate?
- All amino acids except Met and Trp are encoded by more than 1 codon
What codon used in initiation of protein synthesis
AUG
Types of RNAs in translation
mRNA (messenger RNA) - Encodes protein
rRNA (ribosomal RNA) - Forms part of the ribosome used to translate mRNA to protein
tRNA (transfer RNA) - Couples the region of the ribosome which bins the mRNA codon and amino acid
What is the shape of tRNA
Cloverleaf
Size of tRNAs
74-95 bases
What is the site of the attachment of amino acids on tRNA
CCA tail added post-transcriptionally
4 main regions of tRNA
3’ CCA tail
T-loop (Pseudouridine)
D-loop (Dihydrouridine)
Anticodon loop
What do D-loop and T-loop contain?
Modified bases
Attaching tRNA to cognate amino acid
- Aminoacylation or charging
- Carried out by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases using ATP as cofactor
- Produces aminoacyl-tRNA
Explain the aminoacylation reaction
- Amino acid binds to ATP
- Activates amino acid (PPi -> 2Pi)
- Transfer of amino acid to tRNA (AMP released)
- Amino acid attached to 3’ or 2’ OH group of 3’ terminal adenine nucleotide of tRNA
- Aminoacyl tRNA formed
Size exclusion
Amino acid too large
Can’t fit in amino-acylation site on synthetase
What provide basis for template recognition?
Codon-anticodon pairings
Explain codon-anticodon pairings
- Based on normal Watson-Crick interactions
- Binding between 1st base of anticodon and 3rd base of codon allows for other base pairings - wobbles
- Wobbles cause basis of degeneracy
First amino acid
Methionine is first amino acid incorporated into proteins - may be removed later
tRNAfmet (prokaryotes) or tRNAimet (eukaryotes) is used at start
tRNAmmet used for elongation involving methionine