DNA and Protein Synthesis: RNA and Proteins 2025

Ribose

Sugar that helps make up the backbone of RNA

Uracil

base found in RNA only; pairs with adenine

Transcription

process of making a strand of RNA from a DNA template

Translation

process of using mRNA as a template to put together amino acids to form a protein

Codon

group of three bases in an mRNA molecule that serves as a code for a particular amino acid

Ribonucleic Acid (RNA)

molecules that relay information about protein synthesis from the DNA to the ribosomes.

RNA Polymerase

Enzyme that links RNA nucleotides together to make mRNA

Transfer RNA (tRNA)

type of RNA that carries amino acids to the ribosome

Messenger RNA (mRNA)

type of RNA that carries instructions from DNA to the ribosome

Anticodon

group of three bases on a tRNA molecule that are complementary to an mRNA codon

amino acids

building blocks of proteins

ribosomes

Part of the cell where proteins are made

protein synthesis

Process of forming proteins by using information coded in DNA and carried by mRNA

start codon

Sequence of bases in mRNA that shows where translation should begin

stop codons

Sequence of bases in mRNA that do not code for amino acids, but signal for translation to stop