Protein Synthesis & Mutations

Front

What is protein synthesis?

Back

The process by which cells generate new proteins, involving transcription of DNA to mRNA and translation of mRNA to amino acids.

Front

What are the two main stages of protein synthesis?

Back

Transcription and Translation.

Front

What happens during transcription?

Back

The DNA sequence of a gene is copied into mRNA.

Front

What happens during translation?

Back

The mRNA sequence is read by ribosomes to assemble amino acids into a polypeptide chain.

Front

What is the role of mRNA in protein synthesis?

Back

mRNA carries the genetic information from DNA to the ribosome for protein synthesis.

Front

What is the role of tRNA in protein synthesis?

Back

tRNA transports specific amino acids to the ribosome, matching them to the mRNA codons.

Front

What is a codon?

Back

A sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that specifies a particular amino acid.

Front

What is an amino acid?

Back

The building blocks of proteins, each specified by a codon in the mRNA.

Front

What is a mutation?

Back

A change in the DNA sequence that can affect protein synthesis and function.

Front

What is a substitution mutation?

Back

A mutation where one nucleotide is replaced by another, potentially altering one amino acid in a protein.