Protein Synthesis and Genetics Flashcards
What are the steps of protein synthesis?
- DNA unwinds and unzips
- MRNA molecule takes a copy of the gene
- MRNA leaves the nucleus and takes the copy to the ribosomes.
- The ribosome reads the MRNA molecule in codons
- A transfer IRNA molecule adds a specific amino acid for each codon
- A chain of amino acids form, which ends at the stop codon.
What is a codon
A group of three of the bases in a strand of DNA
Key points on proteins
- Each protein has its own number and sequence of amino acids
- This results in differently shaped molecules which have different functions
What is a nucleotide made out of
- A sugar
- A phosphate group
- A base
Which bases go together in a nucleotide
A and T
C and G
What are proteins made out of
A chain of amino acids
What is a gene
A section of a chromosome that codes for a particular characteristic.
What is an Allele
A different form of the same gene. We inherit 2 alleles for each gene.
What is a heterozygous genotype
A genotype with 2 different alleles
What is a homozygous genotype
A genotype with 2 of the same alleles
What is a phenotype
The physical expression of the gene, what you look like
What is a dominant allele
An allele that is always expressed, and masks the recessive allele.
What is a recessive allele
An allele that is only expressed if 2 occur together
