Translation: The Genetic Code and tRNA

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and definitions related to the genetic code, translation process, and tRNA structure and function as discussed in the lecture notes.

Genetic Code

The set of rules that show which amino acid is specified by each of the mRNA codons.

Translation

The process in which information in the mRNA is used to direct the synthesis of a polypeptide.

Codon

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

tRNA (transfer RNA)

Brings the correct amino acids to make up the polypeptide chain.

mRNA (messenger RNA)

The RNA molecule that carries genetic information from DNA to the ribosome.

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase

An enzyme that attaches an amino acid to its corresponding tRNA.

Anticodon

A sequence of three nucleotides in tRNA that is complementary to a codon in mRNA.

Redundancy (degeneracy)

The property of the genetic code that allows multiple codons to code for the same amino acid.

Universal genetic code

The genetic code is almost universal across all organisms, meaning the same codons correspond to the same amino acids.

Stop codon

A codon that signals the end of translation (e.g., UAA, UAG, UGA).

Start codon

The codon that begins the translation process, typically AUG, which codes for Methionine.

Polypeptide

A chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds that forms a protein.

Transcription

The process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA.

RNA polymerase

The enzyme that catalyzes the synthesis of RNA from a DNA template during transcription.

Cloverleaf structure

The 2D representation of tRNA due to folding and base pairing.

Degenerate code

Refers to the fact that most amino acids are encoded by more than one codon.

Modified bases

Chemically altered nucleotides found in tRNA that contribute to its stability and function.

E. coli

A common bacterial model organism used in studies of gene expression.

Phenylalanine (Phe)

An amino acid coded for by the codons UUU and UUC.

Leucine (Leu)

An amino acid coded for by the codons UUA, UUG, CUU, CUC, CUA, and CUG.

Amino acid attachment site

The area on tRNA where the corresponding amino acid is bonded.

Functional domain of tRNA

Regions of tRNA involved in recognizing mRNA codons and binding to the appropriate amino acids.