The Cell: A Protein Factory

DNA and Protein Synthesis

DNA plays an important role in protein synthesis, the process of building proteins in
our cells. If we think about the nucleus as the factorys head office and the
chromosomes as computers that store the factorys information (e.g. instructions or
recipes for making the factorys products), the DNA would be the actual recipes or
instructions.

In cells, DNA can be thought of as an instruction manual for building proteins, with
the instructions written in a code (the sequence of nitrogenous bases in the DNA
molecule). In order for the proteins to be built, the instructions must be taken out of
the ___________ and transported to the ______________, where the code is read and
used to assemble the proteins.

This process involves two main steps:

1) _______________
2) _______________

These steps involve ___________________, or ____________, in two different forms. RNA

is similar to DNA, but with a few key differences. Where DNA contains the sugar
______________, RNA contains the sugar _________. RNA is ___________________,
whereas DNA has __________________. And importantly, the four nitrogenous bases
that are used in DNA (adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine) are the same ones
that are used in RNA, except that RNA uses the nitrogenous base ______________
instead of ______________.
 Transcription

The first step in the process is called ____________________. In order to build a

particular protein, the DNA code with the instructions for that protein must be taken
to a ribosome, where the protein will be assembled. However, the DNA must be
protected, and cannot leave the nucleus. This is where the first form of RNA comes
in _______________________, or _________.

Indeed, mRNA acts as a messenger it is essentially a copy of the DNA code for a
specific protein, and is able to leave the nucleus to bring the code to a ribosome.

In order for the copy to be made, the DNA double helix is unzipped by an enzyme
called ________________________. Because the nitrogenous bases in DNA always bond
in specific base pairs (adenine with _____________, guanine with _____________), the
 RNA polymerase is able to use the sequence of bases in the DNA strand as a
_____________ to make a complementary strand of mRNA.

DNA is long and complex, and codes for many different proteins. The mRNA does
not copy the entire strand of DNA, but rather the small portion that codes for the
particular protein that is needed at that time. This small section is identified by a
_______________, a short sequence in the DNA code that tells the RNA polymerase
where to bind to the strand to begin the transcription process.

This promoter is sometimes called the _____________, because this is the sequence
of nitrogenous bases that tells the RNA polymerase where to begin.

Remember that DNA strands have two different directions, based on the number of
the carbon atom in the sugar molecule at the end of each DNA strand (3 or 5,
written as 3 or 5). After the RNA polymerase attaches to the DNA at the promoter
and unzips the two strands, the sequence of nitrogenous bases in the DNA strand is
read in the direction of the 5 end of the strand, and copied into mRNA in this
order.
The RNA polymerase continues to move along the strand of DNA, re-zipping the two
strands of DNA behind it, and adding the matching bases to the new strand of
mRNA until it reaches another specific sequence called the ___________________. This
signifies the end of the code for the particular protein being made. The strand of
mRNA is now complete.

Before the mRNA leaves the nucleus, a specific type of guanine is added to the 5
end of the strand (called the ____________) and a number of adenine bases is added
to the 3 end of the strand (called the ___________________). These pieces protect the
mRNA and help the ribosome to recognize the beginning and end of the proteins
code.

Translation

Once the mRNA leaves the nucleus, it needs to find a ribosome. The ribosomes are
either attached to the ____________________________________or floating in the
___________________ of the cell. When the mRNA attaches to a ribosome, the process
of ____________________begins. The process of translation can be thought of as
reading the recipe or instructions for building a product, and using these
instructions to assemble it.
 The mRNA is read by the ribosome 3 bases at a time. Each 3-base piece of the
mRNA code is called a ____________.

This is where the second form of RNA comes in _________________, or ____________.

tRNA acts as the translator, and translates the code in the mRNA into
________________, the building blocks of protein.

Each molecule of tRNA has a 3-base code called an ____________________ on one end,
and an amino acid corresponding to that code on the other end. The anti-codon on
the tRNA matches a specific codon on the mRNA.

When the first codon on the mRNA is read by the ribosome, a molecule of tRNA with
the corresponding anti-codon (and amino acid) is brought in. When the next codon
is read, another molecule of tRNA with the appropriate anti-codon and amino acid is
brought in, and this amino acid attaches to the first amino acid by a
_______________________. The first tRNA molecule detaches from the ribosome and
the strand of mRNA shifts along so that the next molecule of tRNA for the next
codon can attach to the ribosome and deposit the corresponding amino acid. In this
way, proteins are assembled by making long chains of amino acids.