Protein Synthesis

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to protein synthesis.

Transcription

The process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA.

Promoter

A region of DNA that initiates transcription of a particular gene.

DNA

The molecule that carries genetic instructions.

RNA polymerase

An enzyme that synthesizes RNA from a DNA template during transcription.

5’ & 3’ ends

The orientation of nucleic acid strands; the 5’ end has a phosphate group, while the 3’ end has a hydroxyl group.

Template strand

The strand of DNA that is used as a basis for synthesizing RNA.

Nontemplate strand

The DNA strand that is not used during transcription.

TATA box

A DNA sequence that indicates where a genetic sequence can be read and decoded.

Transcription factors

Proteins that regulate the transcription of genes by binding to nearby DNA.

Mature RNA transcript

The final RNA product after processing, ready for translation.

DNA to RNA Base pairing rules

Adenine pairs with Uracil (in RNA) and Cytosine pairs with Guanine.

RNA processing

The modification of RNA to produce a functional messenger RNA (mRNA).

5’ cap

A modified guanine nucleotide added to the 5’ end of an mRNA molecule.

Poly-A tail

A stretch of adenine nucleotides added to the 3’ end of mRNA.

Start codon

The nucleotide triplet that signals the beginning of translation (AUG).

Stop codon

The nucleotide triplet that signals the end of translation.

Exon

A segment of a gene that is expressed and codes for a protein.

Intron

A non-coding segment of DNA or RNA that is removed during RNA processing.

Spliceosome

A complex of enzymes that removes introns from pre-mRNA.

snRNPs

Small nuclear ribonucleoproteins that are part of the spliceosome.

Translation

The process of synthesizing a protein from mRNA.

Ribosome

A molecular machine that assembles proteins by linking amino acids.

Small subunit

The part of the ribosome that reads the mRNA.

Large subunit

The part of the ribosome that joins amino acids to form a polypeptide chain.

Codon

A sequence of three nucleotides that codes for an amino acid.

A site; P site; E site

The three binding sites on a ribosome for tRNA during translation.

tRNA

Transfer RNA, which carries amino acids to the ribosome.

Amino acid

The building blocks of proteins.

Polypeptide

A chain of amino acids that makes up proteins.

Anti-codon

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

Release factor

A protein that recognizes stop codons and promotes the release of the newly synthesized polypeptide.

Nucleus

The membrane-bound organelle where DNA is housed.

Cytoplasm

The jelly-like substance outside the nucleus where cellular processes occur.

Methylation

The addition of a methyl group to DNA, affecting gene expression.

Acetylation

The addition of an acetyl group to histones, which can alter gene expression.

Activators

Proteins that increase the likelihood of transcription of a particular gene.

Enhancers

Regulatory DNA sequences that increase transcription levels.

DNA bending protein

A protein that facilitates the bending of DNA to enhance gene expression.

miRNA

MicroRNA, a small non-coding RNA that regulates gene expression.