Protein synthesis

• What is the process of making proteins called?

  Protein synthesis
• What are the two main steps of protein synthesis?

  Transcription and translation
• What happens during transcription?

  The process of taking a single gene of DNA and copying into a structure called mRNA.
• What is the role of mRNA in protein synthesis?

  It carries the genetic code to ribosomes
• Where is the genetic material of a cell contained?

  In the nucleus
• Why is DNA essential to life?

  It contains thousands of genes
• What do genes code for?

  A specific sequence of amino acids
• What is the function of ribosomes in protein synthesis?

  They read mRNA to produce proteins
• Why can't DNA leave the nucleus?

  Because it is too large
• What does mRNA stand for?

  Messenger RNA
• How does mRNA differ from DNA?

  It is shorter and single-stranded
• What base does mRNA contain instead of thymine?

  Uracil
• What initiates the transcription process?

  RNA polymerase enzyme
• What happens to the DNA strands during transcription?

  They separate to expose bases
• How does RNA polymerase create the mRNA strand?

  By reading DNA bases and pairing them
• What is the complementary base pairing for adenine in DNA?

  Thymine
• What is the complementary base pairing for adenine in mRNA?

  Uracil
• What is the template strand in transcription?

  The DNA strand used to make mRNA
• What does each group of three bases in mRNA code for?

  A specific amino acid
• How many different amino acids do cells use?

  Twenty
• What is a codon?

  A triplet of bases coding for an amino acid
• What is the role of tRNA in translation?

  It brings amino acids to the ribosome
• What does the anticodon on tRNA do?

  It pairs with mRNA codons
• How does the ribosome build a protein?

  By joining amino acids in sequence
• What happens to the tRNA after it delivers its amino acid?

  It detaches and can be reused
• What occurs at the end of translation?

  The amino acid chain detaches from the ribosome
• What happens to the amino acid chain after it detaches?

  It folds to form a protein
• What are the steps of transcription?

  1. RNA polymerase binds to DNA
  2. DNA strands separate
  3. RNA polymerase reads DNA bases
  4. mRNA strand is formed
  5. RNA polymerase detaches from DNA
• What are the steps of translation?

  1. mRNA binds to ribosome
  2. tRNA brings amino acids
  3. Ribosome joins amino acids
  4. tRNA detaches after delivery
  5. Amino acid chain folds into protein
• How do transcription and translation work together in protein synthesis?

  • Transcription copies a single gene of DNA to mRNA
  • Translation uses mRNA to assemble proteins
• What are the differences between DNA and RNA?

  • DNA: double-stranded, contains thymine
  • RNA: single-stranded, contains uracil
• What is the significance of codons in protein synthesis?

  • Codons determine the sequence of amino acids
  • Each codon corresponds to a specific amino acid