Protein Synthesis and Mutations

Front

What is protein synthesis?

Back

Protein synthesis is the process by which cells generate new proteins, involving two main stages: transcription and translation.

Front

What is the role of mRNA in protein synthesis?

Back

mRNA (messenger RNA) carries the genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, where proteins are synthesized.

Front

What is transcription?

Back

Transcription is the process of copying a segment of DNA into RNA, specifically mRNA.

Front

What is translation?

Back

Translation is the process where ribosomes read mRNA sequences to synthesize proteins by linking amino acids together.

Front

What is a codon?

Back

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

Front

What is an amino acid?

Back

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and there are 20 different amino acids that combine in various sequences to form proteins.

Front

What is a mutation?

Back

A mutation is a change in the DNA sequence that can lead to changes in protein structure and function.

Front

What is a silent mutation?

Back

A silent mutation is a type of mutation that does not change the amino acid sequence of a protein.

Front

What is a nonsense mutation?

Back

A nonsense mutation is a mutation that creates a premature stop codon in the mRNA, leading to a truncated protein.

Front

What is a frameshift mutation?

Back

A frameshift mutation occurs when nucleotides are inserted or deleted from the DNA sequence, altering the reading frame of the codons.