RNA and the Genetic Code Flashcards
Ch 7
central dogma
states that DNA is transcribed to RNA, which is translated to protein
degenerate code
allows for multiple codons to encode for the same amino acid
-allows for mutations in DNA that do not always result in altered protein structure or function
initiation (start) codon
AUG
termination (stop) codon
UAA: U Are Annoying
UGA: U Go Away
UAG: U Are Gone
wobble
third base in the codon
what allows for mutations to occur without effects in the protein?
redundancy and wobble
point mutations can cause
they are often called expressed mutations:
nonsense mutations (truncation)
missense mutations
silent mutations
mutations with no effect on protein synthesis
these tend to be in mutations in the wobble position
nonsense mutations (truncation)
mutations that produce a premature stop codon
missense mutations
mutations that produce a codon that codes for a different amino acid
messenger (mRNA)
messenger of genetic information
- carries message from DNA in the nucelus via transcription of the gene
- travels into the cyptoplasm to be translated
DNA codes for
codes for proteins but cannot perform any of the important enzymatic reactions that proteins are responsible for in cells
where does the creation of the primary protein structure occur?
ribosomes
transfer RNA (tRNA)
responsible for converting the language of nucleic acids to the language of amino acids and peptides
ribosomal RNA (rRNA)
synthesized in the nucleolus, makes up ribosome
used during protein assembly in the cytoplasm
helps catalyze the formation of peptide bonds
important in splicing out its own introns within the nucleus
frameshift mutations
result from nucleotide addition or deletion, and change the reading frame of subsequent codons
RNA is similar to DNA except
- substitution of a ribose sugar for deoxyribose
- substitution of uracil for thymine
- it is single stranded instead of double stranded
there are three types of RNA in transcription
transfer RNA
messenger RNA
ribosomal RNA
transcription
the creation of mRNA from a DNA template
RNA translation
changes the language from nucleotides to amino acids
it’s translating for us!
helicase
unwinds the DNA double helix
RNA polymerase II
binds to the TATA box within the promoter region of the gene
-25 base pairs upstream from first transcribed base
does nor require a primer to start generating a transcript
what is RNA synthesized by
a DNA-dependent RNA polymerase
locates genes in promotor regions
TATA box
high concentration of thymine and adenine bases