1. RNA

2. RNA stands for Ribonucleic Acid
It’s a lot like DNA, except:
It’s single-stranded
It has Ribose, not Deoxyribose
Instead of Thymine, it has Uracil

3. There are 3 different kinds of RNA, and they all have special jobs
There are 3 different kinds of RNA, and they all have special jobs. They are:
mRNA, or Messenger RNA
tRNA, or Transfer RNA
rRNA, or Ribosomal RNA
They all come together to make protein.

4. That strand of RNA is used to make a protein.
Sometimes, instead of replicating, DNA is used to make a strand of RNA.
That strand of RNA is used to make a protein.
When DNA is used to make RNA, it is called “Transcription”.
When RNA is used to make a protein, it is called “Translation” V

5. Remember how DNA “unzips” so it can be copied
Remember how DNA “unzips” so it can be copied? Well, sometimes it “unzips” and a piece or RNA is made instead. Then, that piece of RNA is used to make a protein.
Proteins make up almost everything inside us. The shape of the protein determines what it does.

6. GENE EXPRESSION

7. TRANSCRIPTION
RNA Polymerase clamps on to DNA, opens it up, and creates a strand of RNA
A binds with U, G binds with C

8. TRANSLATION
Every 3 nucleotides on a strand of mRNA are referred to as a “CODON”. It codes for a specific amino acid.
When creating a protein, we add the appropriate amino acid by matching a codon with it’s “ANTICODON”, which is a corresponding 3-nucleotide sequence that matches the codon perfectly. Anticodons are found on tRNA. tRNA has an amino acid bound to it, that joins the amino acid chain to create a protein.

9. TRANSLATION
This entire process occurs in the ribosome, and continues until a STOP CODON is reached.

10. OPERONS
How does our body know when to make the protein and when not to? What if we have too much of something, or not enough?
Prokaryotic and some select eukaryotic organisms use OPERONS to regulate gene expression. Operons are like switches that get turned on or off, depending on whether or not something is needed, or there is too much of it. These are categorized as INDUCTIVE or REPRESSIVE.

13. INTRONS AND EXONS
Not all of our DNA codes for proteins we use, or even need. The areas that we use are called EXONS. The areas we do not use are called INTRONS. EXONS are EXPRESSED, introns are not.

14. MUTATIONS

15. POINT MUTATION
INSERTION – a new nucleotide is inserted into the sequence
DELETION – a base pair is deleted from the sequence
GENE REARRANGEMENT
TRANSPOSITION – two sections of a chromosome trade places
READING ERRORS
FRAMESHIFT MUTATION – When creating the mRNA, the template is “off” by a base pair, resulting in a strand of mRNA that is in the correct order, just missing a base pair. This results in creating a completely different protein, or creating nothing at all.