Lecture on Gene Expression and Protein Synthesis

These flashcards cover essential concepts from the lecture on gene expression, transcription, translation, and mutations, important for understanding the relationship between genes and proteins.

Gene expression

The process by which information from a gene is used to synthesize proteins or RNA.

Transcription

The process of synthesizing RNA from a DNA template.

Translation

The process of synthesizing a polypeptide from an mRNA template.

Codon

A sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that corresponds to a specific amino acid.

RNA polymerase

An enzyme that synthesizes RNA by linking together RNA nucleotides.

Spliceosome

A complex of proteins and RNA that removes introns and joins exons in RNA processing.

Introns

Non-coding sequences of RNA that are removed during RNA processing.

Exons

Coding sequences of RNA that are retained and expressed.

Missense mutation

A point mutation that results in the substitution of one amino acid for another in a protein.

Nonsense mutation

A point mutation that creates a stop codon, resulting in a shortened protein.

Frameshift mutation

A mutation caused by insertions or deletions that alters the reading frame of the genetic message.

CRISPR-Cas9

A revolutionary gene editing technology that allows for precise modifications of DNA.

Polypeptide

A chain of amino acids that makes up a protein.

Alternative RNA splicing

The process by which different combinations of exons are joined together to produce multiple proteins from a single gene.

Ribosome

The cellular machinery that facilitates the translation of mRNA into proteins.

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase

An enzyme that attaches the appropriate amino acid to its corresponding tRNA.

Transcription unit

The DNA segment that is transcribed into an RNA molecule.

5' cap

A modified guanine nucleotide added to the 5' end of a eukaryotic mRNA to protect it from degradation.

Poly-A tail

A long chain of adenine nucleotides added to the 3' end of eukaryotic mRNA for stability and export from the nucleus.

Promoter

A specific DNA sequence where RNA polymerase binds to initiate transcription.

Termination codon

A nucleotide triplet that signals the end of translation.