RNA IN PROTEIN SYNTHESIS

The genetic information is read as a sequence of co-

dons—triplets of bases in DNA that give the sequence
of amino acids in a protein. Of the 64 possible co-
dons, 61 specify amino acids and 3 are stop codons. Devlin, T. M. (1997). Textbook of bio-
chemistry with clinical correla-
tions (4th ed.). USA: Wiley-LISS.
Each tRNA has at one end an anticodon consisting of
three bases complementary to those of the mRNA codon McMurry, J., et. al. (2013). Funda-
that specifies the amino acid it carries.
mentals of general, organic, and
biological chemistry (7th ed.).
Initiation of translation is the coming together of
USA: Pearson. Nucleic Acids:
the large and small subunits of the ribosome, an
Stoker, H. S. (2010). General, organ-
mRNA, and the first amino acid– bearing tRNA con-
nected at the
ribosome.
first of the two binding sites in the
ic, and biological chemistry (5th
ed.). USA: Cengage Learning. DNA and RNA
Timberlake, K. C. (2010). General, or-
Elongation proceeds as the next tRNA arrives at the
ganic and biological chemistry:
second binding site, its amino acid is bonded to the
first one, the first tRNA leaves, and the ribosome
Structures of life (3rd ed.). Sin-
moves along so that once again there is a vacant gapore: Pearson Education.
second site. These steps repeat until the stop codon
Wade, L. G. (2013). Organic chemistry
is reached.
(8th ed.). USA: Pearson.

The termination step consists of separation of the

two ribosome subunits, the mRNA, and the protein.

References:
GENETICS
 NUCLEIC ACIDS
Nucleic acids are carriers of the genetic in-
formation of an organism. They are polymers of
nucleotides, joined together by phosphodiester
linkages between the 5’- hydroxyl group of one
pentose and the 3’-hydroxyl group of the next.
A nucleotide consists of a nitrogenous base
(purine or pyrimidine), a pentose sugar, and
one or more phosphate groups.
There are two types of nucleic acid: RNA and
DNA.
The Nitrogen-Containing Heterocyclic Bases
There are five different kinds of nitroge-
nous bases found in DNA and RNA, and they
are all derived from two parent compounds,
purine and pyrimidine.
Purines: adenine and guanine; pyrimidines:
cytosine, thymine and uracil.
• Thymine is present only in DNA
molecules (with rare exceptions).
• Uracil is present only in RNA mol-
ecules.
• Adenine, guanine, and cytosine are
present in both DNA and RNA.
REPLICATION OF DNA
Step 1: The enzyme DNA helicase causes the two
strands of DNA to unwind, producing two template
strands.
Step 2: Free nucleotides pair with their comple-
mentary base on the template strands by means of
hydrogen bonds.
Step 3: DNA polymerase joins the newly attached
nucleotides to create one continuous strand in the
5'-to-3' direction.
Step 4: The other strand is formed in short seg-
ments (Okazaki fragments) in the 3'-to-5' direc-
tion. The segments are then joined together by DNA
ligase.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) - The nucleic acid

that stores genetic information; a polymer of
deoxyribonucleotides.

RNA (ribonucleic acid)- Nucleic acids respon-

sible for putting the genetic information to Phosphate
use in protein synthesis; a polymer of ribonu- Phosphate, the third component of a nucleo-
cleotides. Includes messenger, transfer, and tide, is derived from phosphoric acid
ribosomal RNA. (H3PO4).

BASE PAIRING IN DNA: THE

COMPONENTS OF A NUCLEOTIDE WATSON–CRICK MODEL

The Pentose Sugars In 1953, James Watson and

One difference between DNA and RNA is
found in the sugar portion of the mole-
cules. In RNA, the sugar is d-ribose
(simply referred to as ribose), as indi-
cated by the name ribonucleic acid. In
DNA, the sugar is 2-deoxyribose, giving
deoxyribonucleic acid.
Francis Crick proposed a
structure for DNA.
STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF RNA
The DNA in each chromosome
Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries the genetic infor-
consists of two polynucleo- mation out of the nucleus to the ribosomes in
tide strands twisted to-
the cytosol, where protein synthesis occurs.
gether in a double helix.
Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) circulate in the cytosol,
The bases on the two
where they bond to amino acids that they then
strands are complementary—
deliver to ribosomes for protein synthesis.
opposite. Because of the
base pairing, the DNA
strands are antiparallel. Ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) combine with specific
proteins to form ribosomes, the physical sites
for protein synthesis.