Translation Basics
The process of decoding mRNA into a protein.
What is translation?
The term used to describe what our genes actually are (the DNA sequence).
What is a genotype?
A permanent change in a DNA sequence of nitrogenous bases.
What is a mutation?
This mutation occurs when one base is changed, but it has no effect on the resulting amino acid.
What is a silent mutation?
A mutation where a section of DNA or a single base is lost.
What is a deletion?
This type of RNA carries amino acids from the cytoplasm to the ribosome.
What is tRNA?
The physical appearance or the trait that is expressed and seen.
What is a phenotype?
A different form of a specific gene.
What is an allele?
A mutation where one base change leads to the formation of a completely new amino acid.
What is a missense mutation?
A mutation where extra base pairs are added into the DNA sequence.
What is an insertion?
The specific location in the cell where mRNA and tRNA meet to assemble proteins.
What is the ribosome?
Genes are considered this if they are actively being transcribed into a protein.
What are "expressed" (or switched on)?
Any substance or agent (like cigarette smoke or UV rays) that causes cancer by damaging DNA.
What is a carcinogene?
This type of mutation transcribes into a stop codon, ending the protein assembly too early.
What is a nonsense mutation?
This broad type of mutation shifts the "reading frame" and changes every amino acid after the point of change.
What is a frameshift mutation?
This type of bond is formed between two neighboring amino acids in a growing chain.
What is a peptide bond?
Although there are 3 billion base pairs, only about 21,000 of these are found in the human genome.
What are genes?
Mutations in this molecule are not permanent because it is eventually recycled back into individual bases.
What is RNA?
Silent mutations are possible because the genetic code is described as this (multiple codons for one amino acid).
What is degenerate?
This is a "helpful" example of a mutation mentioned in the notes regarding a specific animal's diet.
What is dogs digesting starch?
After translation, a protein moves to this organelle to be packaged into a vesicle for transport.
What is the Golgi Apparatus?
This is the primary function of "non-coding" DNA.
What is switching genes on and off?
Mutations often occur as errors during this specific biological process.
What is DNA replication?
A missense mutation changes this part of the amino acid, which in turn changes the protein's overall shape.
What is the R-group?
This is why the ribosome must hold at least two codons at any given time.
What is to manage the incoming amino acid while holding the existing polypeptide chain?