Reading a Codon Chart

Front

What is a codon?

Back

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

Front

What does the mRNA sequence AUG code for?

Back

AUG codes for the amino acid Methionine, which is also the start codon for protein synthesis.

Front

How is mRNA synthesized from DNA?

Back

mRNA is synthesized from DNA through a process called transcription, where RNA polymerase reads the DNA template and creates a complementary RNA strand.

Front

What is the role of RNA polymerase in transcription?

Back

RNA polymerase is the enzyme that synthesizes RNA from a DNA template during the process of transcription.

Front

What is the significance of the start codon in translation?

Back

The start codon (AUG) signals the beginning of translation and the start of protein synthesis.

Front

What is the function of a stop codon?

Back

A stop codon signals the termination of protein synthesis, indicating that the polypeptide chain is complete.

Front

What is the relationship between DNA, mRNA, and amino acids?

Back

DNA contains the genetic code, mRNA is the messenger that carries this code to the ribosome, and amino acids are the building blocks of proteins that are assembled based on the mRNA sequence.

Front

What is the process of translation?

Back

Translation is the process by which ribosomes read the mRNA sequence and assemble amino acids into a polypeptide chain to form a protein.

Front

How do you read a codon chart?

Back

To read a codon chart, locate the first two letters of the mRNA codon in the left column, then find the third letter in the corresponding row to determine the amino acid.

Front

What is the mRNA sequence produced from the DNA sequence TAC CCC GGA GAG?

Back

The mRNA sequence produced is AUG GGG CCU CUC.