Transcription, as related to genomics, is the process of making an RNA copy of a gene’s DNA sequence. This copy, called messenger RNA (mRNA), carries the gene’s protein information encoded in DNA. In humans and other complex organisms, mRNA moves from the cell nucleus to the cell cytoplasm (watery interior), where it is used for synthesizing the encoded protein. Show
Translation: Messenger RNA Translated Into ProteinCreated by George Rice, Montana State University Translation is the process that takes the information passed from DNA as messenger RNA and turns it into a series of amino acids bound together with peptide bonds. It is essentially a translation from one code (nucleotide sequence) to another code (amino acid sequence). The ribosome is the site of this action, just as RNA polymerase was the site of mRNA synthesis. The ribosome matches the base sequence on the mRNA in sets of three bases (called codons) to tRNA molecules that have the three complementary bases in their anticodon regions. Again, the base-pairing rule is important in this recognition (A binds to U and C binds to G). The ribosome moves along the mRNA, matching 3 base pairs at a time and adding the amino acids to the polypeptide chain. When the ribosome reaches one of the "stop" codes, the ribosome releases both the polypeptide and the mRNA. This polypeptide will twist into its native conformation and begin to act as a protein in the cells metabolism. (from Biology 101, link
http://edtech.clas.pdx.edu/gene_expression_tutorial/translation.html, John Rueter 11/25/96)
The Genetic Code Is Degenerate and UniversalThe genetic code is degenerate as there are 64 possible nucleotide triplets (43), which is far more than the number of amino acids. These nucleotide triplets are called codons; they instruct the addition of a specific amino acid to a polypeptide chain. Sixty-one of the codons encode twenty different amino acids. Most of these amino acids can be encoded by more than one codon. Three of the 64 codons terminate protein synthesis and release the polypeptide from the translation machinery. These triplets are called stop codons. The stop codon UGA is sometimes used to encode a 21st amino acid called selenocysteine (Sec), but only if the mRNA additionally contains a specific sequence of nucleotides called a selenocysteine insertion sequence (SECIS). The stop codon UAG is sometimes used by a few species of microorganisms to encode a 22nd amino acid called pyrrolysine (Pyl). The codon AUG, also has a special function. In addition to specifying the amino acid methionine, it also serves as the start codon to initiate translation. The reading frame for translation is set by the AUG start codon. The genetic code is universal. With a few exceptions, virtually all species use the same genetic code for protein synthesis. The universal nature of the genetic code is powerful evidence that all of life on Earth shares a common origin. Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Codons and the universal genetic code.: The genetic code for translating each nucleotide triplet (codon) in mRNA into an amino acid or a translation termination signal.The Central Dogma: DNA Encodes RNA, RNA Encodes ProteinThe central dogma of molecular biology describes the flow of genetic information in cells from DNA to messenger RNA (mRNA) to protein. It states that genes specify the sequence of mRNA molecules, which in turn specify the sequence of proteins. Because the information stored in DNA is so central to cellular function, the cell keeps the DNA protected and copies it in the form of RNA. An enzyme adds one nucleotide to the mRNA strand for every nucleotide it reads in the DNA strand. The translation of this information to a protein is more complex because three mRNA nucleotides correspond to one amino acid in the polypeptide sequence. Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): The central dogma: Instructions on DNA are transcribed onto messenger RNA. Ribosomes are able to read the genetic information inscribed on a strand of messenger RNA and use this information to string amino acids together into a protein.Transcription: DNA to RNATranscription is the process of creating a complementary RNA copy of a sequence of DNA. Both RNA and DNA are nucleic acids, which use base pairs of nucleotides as a complementary language that enzymes can convert back and forth from DNA to RNA. During transcription, a DNA sequence is read by RNA polymerase, which produces a complementary, antiparallel RNA strand. Unlike DNA replication, transcription results in an RNA complement that substitutes the RNA uracil (U) in all instances where the DNA thymine (T) would have occurred. Transcription is the first step in gene expression. The stretch of DNA transcribed into an RNA molecule is called a transcript. Some transcripts are used as structural or regulatory RNAs, and others encode one or more proteins. If the transcribed gene encodes a protein, the result of transcription is messenger RNA (mRNA), which will then be used to create that protein in the process of translation. Translation: RNA to ProteinTranslation is the process by which mRNA is decoded and translated to produce a polypeptide sequence, otherwise known as a protein. This method of synthesizing proteins is directed by the mRNA and accomplished with the help of a ribosome, a large complex of ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and proteins. In translation, a cell decodes the mRNA’s genetic message and assembles the brand-new polypeptide chain. Transfer RNA, or tRNA, translates the sequence of codons on the mRNA strand. The main function of tRNA is to transfer a free amino acid from the cytoplasm to a ribosome, where it is attached to the growing polypeptide chain. tRNAs continue to add amino acids to the growing end of the polypeptide chain until they reach a stop codon on the mRNA. The ribosome then releases the completed protein into the cell. Interactive ElementDNA to protein: This interactive shows the process of DNA code being translated to a protein from start to finish! Key Points
Key Terms
Contributions and Attributions
What process describes the information encoded in a strand of mRNA?Translation
Translation, as related to genomics, is the process through which information encoded in messenger RNA (mRNA) directs the addition of amino acids during protein synthesis.
What is the process of mRNA making protein called?Translation is the process of synthesis of protein from RNA. In translation, messenger RNA (mRNA) produced by transcription is decoded by the ribosome to produce a specific amino acid chain, or polypeptide, that will later fold into an active protein.
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