Dynamic GENOME FLASHCARDS Pre-LAB

Transcription

copying a gene’s DNA sequence into an RNA molecule. It happens in the nucleus in eukaryotes.

Translation

reading the codons on an mRNA and building a protein from them, one amino acid at a time. It happens at the ribosome.

DNA

the double-stranded molecule that stores genetic information as a sequence of A, T, C, and G bases.

pre-mRNA

the raw RNA copy of a gene straight out of transcription. It still has introns in it and hasn’t been capped or tailed yet, so it’s not ready to be translated.

mRNA

the finished, processed RNA (introns removed, 5' cap and poly-A tail added) that leaves the nucleus and carries the instructions for making a protein.

tRNA

a small RNA that carries a specific amino acid and has an anticodon that matches an mRNA codon. It’s the adapter that lets the ribosome translate nucleotide code into amino acids.

Splicing

cutting the introns out of pre-mRNA and joining the exons together so the final message is a continuous coding sequence.

Spliceosome

the big complex of RNA and proteins that does the splicing. It recognizes the intron boundaries, cuts, and stitches the exons together.

Ribosome

the molecular machine (rRNA plus proteins) that reads mRNA and links amino acids together into a polypeptide.

RNA polymerase

the enzyme that does transcription. It reads the DNA template strand and builds a complementary RNA strand, no primer needed.