main goal of this chapter - --Explain the "central dogma" of DNA-protein synthesis
-Describe the genetic code and how the nucleotide sequence prescribes
... [Show More] the amino acid and the protein sequence
-The cellular process of _____ generates messenger RNA (mRNA) - -transcription
-messenger RNA (mRNA) - -A type of RNA, synthesized from DNA and attached to ribosomes in the cytoplasm; it specifies the primary structure of a protein.
-a mobile molecular copy of one or more genes with an alphabet of A, C, G, and uracil (U)
-central dogma of DNA-protein synthesis - -genes specify the sequence of mRNAs, which in turn specify the sequence of amino acids making up all proteins
-Protein sequences consist of 20 commonly occurring amino acids; therefore, it can be said that the protein alphabet consists of 20 "letters" . Different amino acids have different chemistries (such as acidic versus basic, or polar and nonpolar) and different structural constraints - -...
-Variation in amino acid sequence is responsible for - -the enormous variation in protein structure and function.
-Each amino acid is composed of - -an amino group (NH+3NH3+), a carboxyl group (COO-), and a side chain (blue). The side chain may be nonpolar, polar, or charged, as well as large or small. It is the variety of amino acid side chains that gives rise to the incredible variation of protein structure and function.
-DNA Encoding RNA - -one nucleotide being added to the mRNA strand for every nucleotide read in the DNA strand
-RNA Encodes Protein - --three mRNA nucleotides correspond to one amino acid in the polypeptide sequence
-colinear - --in terms of RNA and protein, three "units" of RNA (nucleotides) specify one "unit" of protein (amino acid) in a consecutive fashion
ex. nucleotides 1 to 3 correspond to amino acid 1, nucleotides 4 to 6 correspond to amino acid 2, and so on.
-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. - -... [Show Less]