Making Proteins: Transcription and Translation

Transcription and Translation were probably the hardest subjects I have had to learn to I will do this section as organized as I can possibly make it.

Transcription: DNA-> RNA
In order for the DNA to make protein, it must first direct the synthesis of a complementary RNA molecule.
DNA can make RNA. RNA is synthesised according to the sequence of DNA bases. This is also known as genetic transcription. An enzyme called RNA polymerase breaks the hydrogen bonds between the DNA bases. Then RNA nucleotides that free float will reform hydrogen bonds with their complementary DNA bases. The RNA nucleotide containing adenine will bond to the DNA base thymine. The RNA nucleotide base uracil will bond to the DNA base adenine. In other words:

• RNA adenine-> DNA thymine
• RNA uracil-> DNA adenine

The ribose sugars and phosphates of th ribonucleotides join together to make a strand of RNA. when the strand of RNA is complete, it then detatches itself from the DNA then leaves the nucleus. Only one of the two of the strands from the DNAs double helix can be used to form a single strand of RNA.

There are three types of RNA: mRNA (messenger RNA), tRNA (transfer RNA) and rRNA (ribosomal RNA)
mRNA encodes structure for a particular protein. tRNA carries amine acids to ribosomes to add to a newly synthesized polypeptide. rRNA containts the structural components of ribosomes.

Translation is harder for me to provide with written words alone so here is a video I found on youtube that I show to the anatomy students I tutor. It helped them a lot! I donot own any rights to this video! This video is from youtube from a person I don't know but I am sharing it.

These notes were based off of actual notes from myself while I was in the class and further research outside the class. I also used the notes from my AWESOME professors who kindly handed them down to me and contributed extra information about this section. This information was also checked and clarified from various physiology books. For the pictures, I do not own any rights to them! If you have any questions feel free to ask on my blogspot or email me!