Translational Control Flashcards
Where are proteins synthesised in eukaryotes?
polyribosomes
What does each ribosome subunit do?
- large (60S) - catalyses peptide bond formation
- small (40S) - decodes the genetic message
What are components of a polysome?
- mRNA template
- ribosomes
- tRNAs
- various protein factors
- nascent polypeptides
Describe the ribosome scanning model
small ribosome subunit scans for first AUG codon in favourable context (Kozak consensus)
Where does translational initiation occur from?
the first AUG codon
What are the 5 steps of translational initiation?
1.tRNA binds to elF2 and small ribosome subunit (P site)
2. binds to the mRNA cap preoccupied with initiation factors elF4E and elF4G
3. scans for the first AUG
4. elF2 dissociates and large ribosome subunit binds
5. second aminoacyl-tRNA is added with a correct anticodon
What does each ribosome have?
3 binding sites for tRNAs and 1 binding site for mRNA
What 4 components does a tRNA have?
- acceptor stem - amino acid attachment site
- D arm/loop - recognition site for aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase
- T arm/loop – recognition site for ribosome
- anticodon – pairing with codon
What is a codon?
a sequence of 3 consecutive nucleotides in a DNA or RNA molecule that codes for a specific amino acid
What do codon wobbles positions allow?
one tRNA to recognise multiple codons
What are the 5 steps of elongation?
- aminoacyl-tRNA molecule binds to a vacant site A on the ribosome
- peptide bond formation
- large subunit translocates, leaving the 2 tRNAs in hybrid sites
- small subunit translocates, carrying its mRNA 3 nucleotides through the ribosome
- this resets the ribosome with a fully empty A site, ready for the next aminoacyl-tRNA to bind
How is each amino acid added to the growing polypeptide chain selected?
by complementary base-pairing between the anticodon on its attached tRNA molecule and the next codon on the mRNA chain
What direction is mRNA translated?
5’ → 3’ with the N-terminal end of a protein being made first
What do translation factors do?
drive translation in the forward direction
What does Ef-Tu do?
provide opportunities for proofreading of the codon–anticodon match which allows incorrectly paired 5′ tRNAs to be selectively rejected, and the accuracy of translation is improved
What does binding of EF-G to the ribosome and GTP hydrolysis cause?
a conformational change of the ribosome which moves tRNA to the P-site after formation of the peptide bond
What are the 3 steps of proofreading by 16s rRNA?
- 16S rRNA recognises correctly paired anticodon-codon
- triggers GTP hydrolysis by EF-Tu
- EF-Tu is released to proceed for protein synthesis