1. from nucleic acid language to amino acid language to PROTEIN language
Translation
from nucleic acid language to amino acid language to
PROTEIN language

2. How does mRNA code for proteins?
The ORDER of the nucleotide bases!!!!!!
TACGCACATTTACGTACGCGG
DNA 4
ATCG
AUGCGUGUAAAUGCAUGCGCC
mRNA 4
AUCG ?
Met Arg Val Asn Ala Cys Ala
Amino acid
chain forms protein 20
How can you code for 20 amino acids with only 4 nucleotide bases (A,U,G,C)?

3. mRNA codes for proteins in triplets
TACGCACATTTACGTACGCGG
DNA
codon
AUGCGUGUAAAUGCAUGCGCC
mRNA
AUGCGUGUAAAUGCAUGCGCC
mRNA ?
Amino acid
Met Arg Val Asn Ala Cys Ala
protein

4. The code Code for ALL life! Code is redundant The wobble base allows
strongest support for a common origin for all life
Code is redundant
several codons for each amino acid
3rd base “wobble”
use M-RNA
The wobble base allows
room for MUTATIONS
Why is the wobble good?
Strong evidence for a single origin in evolutionary theory.
Start codon
AUG
methionine
Stop codons
UGA, UAA, UAG

6. How are the codons matched to amino acids?3 5
DNA
TACGCACATTTACGTACGCGG 5
mRNA
AUGCGUGUAAAUGCAUGCGCC 3
codon 3 5
UAC
Met
GCA
Arg
tRNA
CAU
Val
anti-codon
amino acid

7. DNA mRNA protein trait From gene to protein nucleus cytoplasmaa
From gene to protein
The STRUCTURE and FUNCTION of the protein depends
on the
order of the amino acid sequences
nucleus
cytoplasm
transcription
translation
DNA
mRNA
protein
ribosome
trait

8. Ribosomes Facilitate coupling of tRNA anticodon to mRNA codon
Structure
ribosomal RNA (rRNA) & proteins
2 subunits
large
small E P A

9. Can you tell the story? RNA polymerase DNA amino acids tRNA pre-mRNA
exon
intron
tRNA
pre-mRNA
mature mRNA 3'
large ribosomal subunit
polypeptide 5'
tRNA
small ribosomal subunit
ribosome