1. How DNA Makes You Part 1: Transcription
Gene to Protein
How DNA Makes You
Part 1: Transcription

2. How to Bake Grandma’s Cookies (Another Food Analogy to Help You Learn Biology)

3. 1. Copy the recipe from Grandma’s secret recipe file.
Location of recipe: Grandma’s house
Product: Instructions to make the best cookies in Hoboken NJ (words)

4. Grandma lives in a retirement home, so she doesn’t cook.
Leave Grandma’s & go to your kitchen where you will find the ingredients and utensils to make the cookies.

5. 2. Read and follow instructions
Add ingredients in correct amounts & order; bake for required time
Product: Best cookies in Bucks County PA

6. How is this analogous to biology?
How does the information (recipe) produce the cookies (product)?
How does the information in genes (sections of DNA) produce the traits (products) that make up each organism?
What are the “products” that cause you to look and function as you?

7. Review: Proteins Polymers of amino acids (monomers)
Structure (3-D) determines function
Proteins are used for:
Structure
Movement
Storage
Defense
Transport
Signaling
Enzymes
order of amino acids determines 3-D shape
Structural (hair, cytoskeleton)
Movement (muscle)
Storage
Defense (antibodies, membrane proteins)
Transport (hemoglobin, membrane proteins)
Signaling (hormones, membrane proteins)
Enzymes (catalysts for biochemical reactions)

8. DNA contains the “recipe” for every protein in your body
Information is copied in the nucleus
Copy leaves nucleus  cytoplasm
Information used to assemble proteins
Trait: freckles, bent pinky, floppy earlobes, curly hair

9. The Big Picture: 2 steps in protein synthesis
1. Transcription information from gene is copied
2. Translation Information is used to assemble amino acids into proteins
 Traits are determined by those proteins

10. DNA – Original Text of Information
mRNA - Working copy of instructions

11. Three types of RNA: Messenger RNA (mRNA) Copies information from DNA
Transfer RNA (tRNA) Brings correct amino acids to build protein
Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) Helps form ribosomes: the workbench where proteins are assembled

12. Transcription: What
Information from a single, specific gene in DNA  is copied to make mRNA (messages)

13. Transcription: Who
DNA – Master source of information (the complete database)
mRNA – Copies information to make a specific single protein (that’s why your eye cells do not make toenails!)
RNA polymerase – adds nucleotides to growing mRNA

14. Transcription: Why Protect DNA in nucleus
Information from only one gene is copied by each mRNA to produce a specific protein

15. Transcription: Where
Nucleus of cell

16. Transcription: How Step by step
(lew-Port – complete; view the first section for transcription)

17. Overview - tutorial Initiation – begin at promoter*
Elongation – add nucleotides to growing mRNA
Termination – stop copying at end of gene
Transcription begins at the promoter, proceeds through the coding region, and ends at the terminator.

18. Transcription details
Initiation: Promoter identifies region to be transcribed
Elongation - Coding region has information for mRNA
RNA polymerase adds nucleotides to mRNA
Termination - ends transcript
mRNA is “processed” before leaving nucleus

19. Transcription: How Transcription Complete
RNA synthesis involves separation of the DNA strands and synthesis of an RNA molecule in the 5' to 3' direction by RNA polymerase, using one of the DNA strands as a template.
RNA polymerase catalyzes a chemical reaction resulting in the synthesis of RNA on a DNA template strand.
Transcription begins at the promoter, proceeds through the coding region, and ends at the terminator.
Transcription Complete

20. Transcription: The Product
mRNA copy of DNA information to make protein
Processed (remove introns)
mRNA leaves the nucleus
mRNA enters cytoplasm for translation

21. Watch transcription in action (DNAi)
click “copying the code”
click putting it together
click Transcription
After viewing this WAY COOL movie, click interactive and make your own RNA.
Transcribe a gene (DNAi)

22. Links for more information:
Lew-Port Protein Synthesis
RNA is very similar to DNA
Transcription overview (biocoach)
Transcription Process (biocoach)
Transcription complete (biocoach)