protein synthesis - transportation and translation

• What is the process of making proteins called?

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

  • Transcription
  • Translation
• What happens during transcription?

  A gene of DNA is copied into mRNA
• What is the role of mRNA in protein synthesis?

  It carries the genetic code from DNA
• What does mRNA stand for?

  Messenger RNA
• Why can't DNA leave the nucleus?

  Because DNA is too large to exit
• What is the structure of mRNA compared to DNA?

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

  Uracil
• What is the role of RNA polymerase in transcription?

  • Binds to DNA before the gene starts
  • Separates DNA strands to expose bases
  • Reads DNA bases to synthesize mRNA
• How do mRNA bases pair with DNA bases?

  Complementary base pairing rules apply
• What does the template strand refer to?

  The DNA strand used to make mRNA
• What is a codon?

  A group of three bases coding for amino acids
• How many different amino acids do cells use?

  20 different amino acids
• What is the role of tRNA in translation?

  It brings amino acids to the ribosome
• How does tRNA ensure the correct amino acid is added?

  By matching its anticodon to mRNA codon
• What happens during the translation process?

  • mRNA binds to the ribosome
  • tRNA brings amino acids in order
  • Ribosome joins amino acids into a chain
  • Chain detaches and folds into a protein
• What happens to the amino acid chain after translation?

  It folds up to form a protein
• What is the significance of the ribosome in protein synthesis?

  It assembles amino acids into proteins
• How do transcription and translation work together in protein synthesis?

  • Transcription copies DNA to mRNA
  • mRNA is translated into a protein
  • Both processes are essential for protein production