lecture 7: gene to protein Flashcards
what happens during transcription?
DNA to RNA
what happens during translation?
mRNA to protein
what are the differences between transcription and translation in prokaryotes and eukaryotes?
Prokaryotic transcription occurs in the cytoplasm alongside translation. Prokaryotic transcription and translation can occur simultaneously. This is impossible in eukaryotes, where transcription occurs in a membrane-bound nucleus while translation occurs outside the nucleus in the cytoplasm
what are codons?
nucleotide triplets that correspond to specific amino acids
what is the start codon?
AUG
what is transcription?
synthesis of mRNA from a DNA template
what does RNA polymerase do?
synthesizes mRNA from 5’ to 3’ by catalyzing phosphodiester bond formation between ribonucleotides
what are the three steps to transcription?
1) initiation
2) elongation
3) termination
what happens during initiation of transcription?
-RNA polymerase and transcription factors bind to the promoter
what are transcription factors?
proteins that help recruit RNA polymerase to gene
what is the promoter?
region of DNA that includes start point and TATA box
what’s the base pair sequence for the TATA box?
TATAAAA-ATATTTT
how many base pairs does RNA polymerase unwind?
10-20
all our cells have the same DNA, how can we have so many different types of cells?
all cells have same genes, but only a subset of these genes are expressed in each cell type, (depending on transcription factors). only specific genes in the cell are expressed
what happens during elongation of transcription?
-RNA polymerase synthesizes mRNA from 5’ to 3’
-reads template strand from 3’ to 5’
is a primer needed for elongation?
no
what is the coding strand of DNA and its relation to mRNA?
-its the non-template strand (mRNA not going on it directly)
-it has the same nucleotide sequences as mRNA but replace U with T
what happens during termination of transcription for prokaryotes?
-RNA polymerase transcribes a terminator sequence, causing it to detach from the mRNA
-mRNA is released and is immediately ready for translation
what happens during termination of transcription for eukaryotes?
-RNA polymerase reaches termination sequence on template strand of DNA: TTATTT
-complementary AAUAAA sequence is poly A signal sequence
-proteins are recruited to the poly A signal sequence and cut the transcript 10-35 nucleotides after the signal sequence
-mRNA is released as pre-mRNA
-DOES NOT CODE FOR STOP CODON
what do we call the AAUAAA mRNA sequence, complementary to the termination codon on the DNA template strand?
poly A signal sequence
in eukaryotes, when is mRNA processed?
after transcription (pre mRNA goes to mature mRNA)
is mature or pre mRNA longer?
pre-mRNA, because it has a whole bunch of extra stuff in the middle that gets cut out
what is added to the pre-mRNA during processing?
1) 5’ cap
2) poly A tail
what is the 5’ cap? What are its functions?
-modified guanine nucleotide is added to the 5’ end of the mRNA
functions:
-protects against degradation
-attachment of ribosomes
-facilitates transport out of nucleus
what is the poly A tail? what are its functions?
-50 to 200 adenine nucleotides are added to the 3’ end of the mRNA
functions:
-protects against degradation
-attachment of ribosomes
-facilitates transport out of nucleus
what are the three parts of mRNA processing?
-addition of 5’ cap
-additinon of poly A trail
-RNA splicing
what is RNA splicing?
-removal of nucleotides (introns) from pre-mRNA
-pre-mRNA contains coding and non-coding sequences and nucleotides
what is the difference between introns and exons?
introns: non coding sequences of nucleotides
exons: coding sequence of nucleotides
what catalyzes RNA splicing?
spliceosome
what is a spliceosome?
-its a complex of proteins and RNA (snRNA)
-removes introns and links exons
-RNA component acts as an enzyme
true or false, the RNA contained in in the spliceosome acts as an enzyme
true
what do we call an RNA that has enzymatic activity? can it catalyze a reaction?
ribozyme. yes it can
do bacteria have snRNA?
no. prokaryotes do not need their mRNA to be processed after its production. they have no introns
what are the functions of introns?
1) control of gene expression
2)regulate transport of RNA out of the nucleus
3) alternative splicing (single gene= more than one protein)
4) evolution of new proteins (through exon shuffling, which introns are involved in)
what is exon shuffling and what does it allow for?
-two different genes swap their alleles through mutation that happens during meiosis. Exons and introns mix and match to form new proteins. alternation exons and introns increase the chance that a recombinant protein will be functional because crossing over can occur anywhere in the introns an not affect the coding region
what is in the final mRNA structure before translation?