When mRNA is decoded to build specific proteins out of amino acid polypeptide chains
Codon
Group of 3 nucleotides that is read to fetch a specific amino acid to add to the polypeptide chain
Methionine
Amino acid that acts as the start codon to signal for the start of protein construction
Stop codons
Tells the cell when the polypeptide is completed
Transfer RNAs
Each one has a specific anticodon that looks for a specific codon on the mRNA on one end, and the other carries the specific amino acid that it codes for
Ribosome
Cellular structure where proteins are assembled. Has 2 subunits (big and small) which come together around mRNA like a bun. Provides spots (A P and E sites) where tRNAs can find their matching codon. Also acts as an enzyme catalyzing the linking of amino acids
Initiation
When the ribosome assembles around the mRNA and the tRNA reads out the AUG start codon
Elongation
When the amino acid chain getting built up gets longer, where tRNA brings them to the chain one codon at a time
Termination
When translation is complete after the tRNA reads the stop codon, then the finished protein is folded and processed so it can do its job
Central dogma of molecular biology
DNA -> RNA -> Protein
Gene expression
Process of going from DNA to a functional product (protein)
Primary transcript
mRNA transcript of DNA that is the same as the coding strand, synthesized from RNA polymerase II
Reading frame
Determines how nucleotides are divided into codons by starting with the start codon and proceeding in groups of three from there
