Protein Synthesis

By: Amanda Moore

Cytoplasm

Nucleus

Ribosomes

Cytoplasm

Nucleus

Ribosomes

Cytoplasm

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTAA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

UA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

GUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

CGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

ACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

UACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

CUACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

GCUACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

AGCUACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

AAGCUACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

UAAGCUACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

CUAAGCUACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

UCUAAGCUACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

AUCUAAGCUACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

RNA Polymerase

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

AAUCUAAGCUACGUA

mRNA

Nucleus

Ribosomes

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Nuclear pore

RibosomesNucleus

TTAGATTCGATGCAT

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Cytoplasm

Ribosomes

Nucleus

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Cytoplasm

Starting codon

Stopping codon

Codon Codon Codon

Ribosome

Nucleus

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Cytoplasm

Starting codon

Stopping codon

Codon Codon Codon

Small subunitLarge subunit

Ribosomes

Ribosome

Nucleus

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Cytoplasm

Starting codon

Stopping codon

Codon Codon Codon

Small subunitLarge subunit

Ribosomes

U A CtRNA

Amino acid

Anti codon

Ribosome

Nucleus

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Cytoplasm

Starting codon

Stopping codon

Codon Codon Codon

Small subunitLarge subunit

Ribosomes

U A CtRNA

Amino acid

Anti codon G U A

tRNA

Amino acid

Ribosome

Nucleus

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Cytoplasm

Starting codon

Stopping codon

Codon Codon Codon

Small subunitLarge subunit

Ribosomes

U A CtRNA

Amino acid

Anti codon G U A

tRNA

Amino acid

Peptide Bond

Ribosome

Nucleus

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Cytoplasm

Starting codon

Stopping codon

Codon Codon Codon

Small subunitLarge subunit

Ribosomes

U A CtRNA

Amino acid

Anti codon U A G

tRNA

Amino acid

Peptide Bond

Peptide Bond

Ribosome

Nucleus

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Cytoplasm

Starting codon

Stopping codon

Codon Codon Codon

Small subunitLarge subunit

Ribosomes

U A GtRNA

Amino acid

Peptide Bond

Peptide Bond

Peptide Bond

Ribosome

Nucleus

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Cytoplasm

Starting codon

Stopping codon

Codon Codon Codon

Small subunitLarge subunit

Ribosomes

Amino acid

Peptide Bond

Ribosome

Nucleus

AATCTAAGCTACGTA

A U G C A U C G A A U C U A A

Cytoplasm

Starting codon

Stopping codon

Codon Codon Codon

Small subunitLarge subunit

Ribosomes

Amino acid

Protein synthesis

Protein synthesis starts off with a process called transcription. Transcription is when RNA polymerase makes a mRNA strand using DNA. RNA polymerase unwinds DNA at the start of a gene. It uses one strand to get the complementary nucleotides for the mRNA strand. On the mRNA, A and U go together and G and C go together. The mRNA then breaks off when RNA polymerase is done using the DNA and goes into the cytoplasm. The DNA then goes back together.

Protein synthesis cont.

• The next step of protein synthesis is translation. Translation is when the mRNA strand is read to make amino acids. The mRNA comes in contact with a ribosome and the ribosome reads the three sets of nucleotides. The ribosome begins at the start codon. Then tRNA transfer amino acids. The tRNA has an anti-codon that is the complement to the nucleotide on the mRNA. The tRNA binds temporarily on the mRNA until another tRNA comes to put an amino acid on another codon. The amino acid then forms a peptide bond with another amino acid. The ribosome stops at the stop codon. After all of the amino acids are made and bonded together, they fold on themselves and form a tertiary structure to give it a function.