Protein synthesis: translation Flashcards
General components needed for protein synthesis (7)
-mRNA
-tRNA
-ribosomes
-energy carriers: ATP/GTP
-amino acids
-aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases
-protein synthesis factors (initiation, elongation and termination factors)
Characteristics of the genetic code
-triplet code
-degenerate
-comma less (arrangement of triplet codons on mRNA is one after another without a gap)
-non-overlapping
-universal
-unambiguous (each codon specifies ONE amino acid)
Crick and Brenner experiments (1961)
AIM: determine general features of genetic code
PROCESS:
-T1 bacteriophages treated with with the proflavine mutagen (which causes insertion/deletion of a single DNA base)
CONCLUSION: code in non-overlapping, triplet and degenerate
describe the structure of tRNA
-small RNA molecules (150 nucleotides long)
-CCA sequence on 3’ due to the maturation process
4 MAIN DOMAINS:
1. Amino acid attachment site - at CCA terminus
2. Anticodon loop: region which recognises and binds to complementary codon on mRNA
3. DHU loop (left)
4. TpsiU loop (right)
-contains a small ‘extra arm’ between TpsiU and anticodon region that is VARIABLE
-structure is maintained by weak Hbonds
What is the starting codon?
AUG which codes for methionine
what are the 3 stop codons?
UAA UAG UGA
How many possible amino acid codons are there in the mRNA
61
REASON: 64 total minus the stop codons (not methionine though)
How many molecules of tRNA are there that carry anticodons?
Around 35-45
REASON: although there are 61 codons that specify for an amino acid, there are less than 61 tRNA molecules because in anticodon-codon recognition, the third nucleotide has imperfect/weak pairing
Due to this occasional non-canonical pairing, a single molecule of tRNA can recognize more than one codon through its anticodon loop
Does the ribosome have proofreading activity in the case that an incorrect amino acid is carried by the tRNA moleule?
NOOO!!
!! this is why the action of enzymes (aa-tRNA transferases) that attach amino acid onto tRNA molecule must be very accurate
What is the role and structure of aa-tRNA transferase
ROLE: perfectly recognised tRNA and corresponding amino acid and link them together
STRUCTURE:
-ATP binding site
-amino acid site
-tRNA site
how many aa-tRNA transferases do we have
20 - one for each amino acid
mode of action of aa-tRNA transferases
- enzyme binds an amino acid and ATP molecule
- activated amino acid by adenylating it (adding AMP) which also released a pyrophosphate
- interacting of tRNA with the now charged aa
- release of AMP and aa is covalently bonded to the 3’ CCA site of the tRNA molecule
SOS: tRNA is now charged whereas before aa asociation it was neutral
What feature of the aa-tRNA transferase allows high fidelity of the process?
Problem faced: in the amino acid site of the transferase, aa larger than intended would not fit, but aa smaller than intended might fit –> causes error
Solution: PROOFREADING: secondary editing pocket which would be smaller than main pocket and would allow the smaller aa to fit and form associations. Then the aa would be hydrolysed.
!!! editing pocket needs to be smaller than main pocket so the target aa doesn’t fit inside
Structure of ribosomes
-major and minor subunit that are assembled to form a fully active ribosome
-can either be associated with RER or be free in cytosol
Prokaryotes: 70S ribosomes, 50S major and 30S minor
Eukaryotes: 80S ribosomes, 60S major and 40S minor
what are polysomes
2 or more ribosomes associated with an mRNA molecule