Protein Synthesis: Transcription

Protein synthesis

Process of creating proteins from genes.

Transcription

Conversion of DNA to RNA in the nucleus.

Translation

Conversion of mRNA to amino acid sequence.

mRNA

Messenger RNA carries genetic information.

tRNA

Transfer RNA brings amino acids to ribosomes.

rRNA

Ribosomal RNA forms part of ribosomes.

Template strand

DNA strand used for RNA synthesis.

Coding strand

Non-template DNA strand mimicking RNA.

RNA Polymerase

Enzyme synthesizing RNA from DNA template.

Promoter

Specific DNA sequence where RNA Polymerase binds.

Codon

Three-nucleotide sequence on mRNA specifying an amino acid.

Anticodon

Three-nucleotide sequence on tRNA complementary to codon.

Amino acids

Building blocks of proteins; 20 types exist.

Genetic code

Set of rules linking codons to amino acids.

Nucleotide

Basic unit of DNA and RNA.

Polypeptide

Chain of amino acids forming a protein.

Eukaryotic cells

Cells with a nucleus where transcription occurs.

Directionality of DNA

DNA strands read from 5' to 3'.

RNA synthesis rate

40 nucleotides per second in eukaryotes.

Multiple RNA Polymerases

Increases mRNA production from a single gene.

64 total codons

Total combinations of three nucleotides in mRNA.