Protein Synthesis

These flashcards cover the key concepts of protein synthesis, including the processes of transcription and translation, the roles of different forms of RNA, and the significance of codons.

What is Protein Synthesis?

The process in which a cell makes protein based on the message contained within its DNA.

What are the two steps in Protein Synthesis?

Transcription and Translation.

What happens during Transcription?

DNA is used to create a strand of mRNA.

What role does RNA polymerase play in Transcription?

RNA polymerase attaches to single strand DNA and creates a strand of RNA using RNA nucleotides.

What are the three types of RNA involved in Protein Synthesis?

mRNA (Messenger), rRNA (Ribosomal), and tRNA (Transfer).

What does mRNA do?

Carries the message of a gene on DNA to a ribosome to be translated.

What is the function of tRNA?

Transfers amino acids over to a ribosome to build a protein.

Where does Translation occur?

Translation occurs at the ribosome.

What is a start codon?

The point where the ribosome attaches to the mRNA to begin Translation.

What is significant about the AUG codon?

It always starts the translation process and codes for the amino acid Methionine (Met).

How many amino acids can RNA code for?

RNA can code for 20 different amino acids.

What is the role of codons in relation to amino acids?

Many different codons can code for the same amino acids, with some codons signaling the start or stop of protein synthesis.