Flashcard 4.2 - Protein Synthesis & Mutations Review Copy

Front

What is a silent mutation?

Back

A silent mutation is a point mutation where the amino acid does not change due to the redundancy in the genetic code, meaning multiple codons can code for the same amino acid.

Front

What is a nonsense mutation?

Back

A nonsense mutation is a type of point mutation that changes a codon into a stop codon, leading to premature termination of protein synthesis.

Front

Where does transcription occur in a cell?

Back

Transcription occurs in the nucleus of the cell.

Front

What is the process of translation?

Back

Translation is the process by which ribosomes synthesize proteins using the mRNA template, converting the sequence of nucleotides into a sequence of amino acids.

Front

What is a codon?

Back

A codon is a sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that specifies a particular amino acid or a stop signal during protein synthesis.

Front

What is an anti-codon?

Back

An anti-codon is a sequence of three nucleotides in tRNA that is complementary to a codon in mRNA, allowing for the correct amino acid to be added during translation.

Front

How many codons are there in the genetic code?

Back

There are 64 possible codons in the genetic code, which correspond to 20 amino acids and stop signals.

Front

What is the role of ribosomes in protein synthesis?

Back

Ribosomes are the cellular machinery that facilitate the translation of mRNA into proteins by linking amino acids together in the order specified by the mRNA.

Front

What is the difference between transcription and translation?

Back

Transcription is the process of copying DNA into mRNA, while translation is the process of decoding mRNA to synthesize proteins.

Front

What is a point mutation?

Back

A point mutation is a change in a single nucleotide in the DNA sequence, which can lead to changes in the corresponding amino acid in a protein.