Lecture 28. Protein translation and alternative splicing Flashcards
What does RNA splicing regulate in eukaryotes ?
The complexity of gene expression products
What are gene coding sequences called in eukaryotes ?
Exons
What are exons ?
Expressed regions
What are introns ?
Intervening regions
What are gene coding sequences interrupted by ?
non-coding sequences called introns
What is pre mRNA splicing carried out by ?
A large molecular complex called the splicesome
What is the function of a spliceosome ?
Recognizes the junctions between introns and exons and can exise the introns to produce a fully splice mRNA molecule
What studies show that genes were comprised of uninterrupted stretches of coding sequences ?
Studies in bacteria
Do introns evolve rapidly ?
Yes
What is the donor site ?
5’ splice site
What is the acceptor site ?
3’ splice site
What is a major source of protein diversity in higher eukaryotes ?
Alternative splicing
When does alternative splicing occur?
When the pre mRNA is processed in different ways to produce mature transcripts lacking one or more exons
What is the product of alternative splicing ?
Splice variants
Do splice variants have the same or different function to the full length splice form ?
Different function
What is alternative splicing regulated by ?
Molecules that sit on the pre-mRNA
What do molecules that sit on the pre-mRNA prevent ?
Access of the splicing machinery to different splice sites
What is the calcitonin/neuropeptide gene ?
Two completely different proteins made in thyroid cells verses neurons
What is the DSCAM gene in drosphilia for ?
Involved in specifying neural circuitry
How many different possible protein isoforms are there in the DSCAM gene in drosphilia ?
38000
Where are mRNAs translated into proteins ?
Ribosomes
Where does the process of translation begin ?
cytoplasm
What happens in the process of translation in the cytoplasm ?
mRNA binds with ribosomes
What are ribosomes ?
Protein synthesis machines
How many binding sites do ribosomes have ?
3
What are the roles of the binding sites in ribosomes ?
- Binding of mRNA
2. Attach tRNA molecules that carry amino acids to the mRNA template and are labelled
What are the three labels on one of the domains used to attach tRNA molecules ?
- Aminoacyl site
- Peptidyl site
- Exit site
How do tRNAs bring amino acids to the ribosomes ?
in a manner dictated by the coding sequence of the mRNA
What is tRNA function defined by ?
Structure of the molecule
What is the structure of tRNAs ?
Cloverleaf shaped polynucleotide sequences
What does the tRNA tail end have ?
An acceptor stem
What is the function of the acceptor stem ?
Binds a specific amino acid
What does the head of tRNA have ?
Three nucleotides that form the anticodon
What is the function of an anticodon ?
Recognises the corresponding codon sequence of the mRNA molecule