Translation in Prokaryotes

• One Gene, One Enzyme Hypothesis

  Each gene encodes a single enzyme
• Triplet code

  3 nucleotides code for one amino acid (Codon)
• Non-Overlapping


  Each base is only read once
• Degenerate


  More than one codon for each amino acid
• Unambiguous 


  Each codon specifies only one amino acid
• Synonymous codons


  Codons that specify the same amino acid
• Isoaccepting tRNAs


  Different tRNAs that accept the same amino acid but have different anticodons
• Wobble


  A single tRNA can recognize multiple codons due to flexible base pairing
• tRNA charging

  Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases
• Shine-Dalgarno Sequence


  Consensus sequence found in the bacterial 5' untranslated region of mRNA (contains the ribosome-binding site)
• Three sites in ribosome

  EPA