8. Translation: The 3 rd Tenet Of the Central Dogma

10. Codons The “sentence” of mRNA is divided into “words” called codons Each codon consists of 3 nucleotides

12. Why are the codons 3 letters long?

13. Do The Math If codons were 1 letter long, only 4 amino acids could be coded If codons were 2 letters long, only 16 amino acids could be coded Since 20 amino acids are necessary for protein synthesis, codons had to be at least 3 nucleotides

14. The Wobble Position Because 4 3 = 64 and only 20 amino acids are required, some codons can represent the same amino acid The third base in a codon often is not as important as the first two in determining the identity of the amino acid Hence, the third position can “wobble”

16. Ribosomes Site of protein synthesis May be attached to Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) or may be free in cytosol Made of 60% rRNA and 40% protein Attach to mRNA

22. How Does The Ribosome Know Where To Start Translation?

24. How Does The Stop Codon “Stop” The Translation Process?

26. Translation