12/11/2013

CENTRAL DOGMA OF MOLECULAR

BIOLOGY
(DNA POLYMERASE) (RNA POLYMERASE)
(RIBOSOMES)

Reverse Transcription

(REVERSE
TRASNCRIPTASE)

Replication

NOTE: Direction of replication is in the 5’  3’ direction

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Enzymes involved in replication

•DNA pol III

•DNA pol I

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Schematic diagram of a growing replication fork

NOTE:

•DNA replication occurs at 500 nucleotides per second in

BACTERIA and only 50 nucleotides per second in HUMANS.

•HOWEVER, eukaryotes have multiple replication bubbles per

parent DNA while prokaryotes only have 1 replication bubble
per parent DNA molecule.

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Transcription
•Biosynthesis of RNA from a DNA template

Types of RNA

1. Transfer RNA (tRNA) – carries amino acids

2. Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) – binds with proteins to form ribosomes

3. Messenger RNA (mRNA) – template for protein synthesis

Transcription differs from DNA replication in 3 ways:

1. Only a small region of one DNA strand is used as a

template.

2. RNA polymerase instead of DNA polymerase for nucleotide

addition.

3. Results in a single-stranded RNA.

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NOTE: Direction of transcription is in the 5’  3’ direction

Antisense strand – DNA strand from which RNA is transcribed
Sense strand – untranscribed strand
– identical in sequence to transcribed RNA

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Types of RNA polymerases

•In Eubacteria: only 1 type is used for all types of RNAs

•In Archaea: several types but not fully studied

•In Eukarya:
1. RNA polymerase I – 18S, 5.8S and 28S rRNA

2. RNA polymerase II – precursor mRNA

2. RNA polymerase III – tRNA, 5S rRNA

Stages of Transcription

Terminator
sequence

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Translation
•Biosynthesis of amino acid sequence from an mRNA
template

•Amino acid – basic building block of a protein

•Amino acids linked together by peptide bonds

Types of amino acids

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A protein is primarily a chain of amino acids

4 levels of structural organization in proteins

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Translation
•Requires all three classes of RNAs

•mRNA
•tRNA
•rRNA

mRNA
•Codon – triplet of nucleotides that code for an
amino acid

•Start codon: •Stop codons:

•AUG - methionine •UAA
•UAG
•UGA
•ORF – open reading frame
– start codon + intervening sequence + stop codon

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tRNA
•Acts as adapter between codons and amino acids
•Anticodon – triplet nucleotides, complementary
with codon

Aminoacyl-tRNA

Activation of tRNA

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rRNA
•Binds with ribonucleoproteins to form ribosomes

•Ribosome – where mRNA is read and translated

into protein

Small subunit

E
P A
Large subunit

The rRNA gene family

NOTE: ITS – internal transcribed spacer

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28S

28S RNA

NOTE: S – Svedberg; a unit of precipitation

Prokaryotic vs eukaryotic ribosomes

Small
Type Size Large subunit
subunit

Prokaryotic 70S 50S (5S, 23S) 30S (16S)

Eukaryotic 80S 60S (5S, 5.8S, 28S) 40S (18S)

NOTE: 16S also found in mitochondria

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Initiation

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Elongation

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Termination

NOTE:
•Transcription and
translation occur
simultaneously in
PROKARYOTES

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The ‘universal’ genetic code

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The ‘universal’ genetic code

•61 triplets code for 20 amino

acids

•DEGENERACY of the 3rd codon

position

The wobble hypothesis

•Conformation of the tRNA anticodon loop permits flexibility at

the 1st base of the anticodon.

The 3rd codon base wobbles

Base in 1st position of Base(s) recognized in 3rd

ANTICODON position of CODON
U A or G
C G only
A U only
G C or U

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