Lecture no 7
DNA Replication Review
DNA
replication is
the process by
which DNA
makes a copy
of itself during
cell division.
DNA Replication Review
Three main steps:
Helicase unzips/unwinds the DNA molecule
DNA Polymerase brings in new nucleotides
Ligase zips the new DNA back together
Why is DNA Replication important?
The important idea is that an exact duplication of the DNA message is required,
so that each new cell in the body has the same set of genetic instructions
as the cells that preceded it.
DNA carries information that can be used to construct the
proteins which form structures and regulate the body’s activities.
• Protein synthesis involves two processes: transcription and
translation.
• In transcription the DNA message is converted into an RNA
molecule.
• In translation the RNA message is used to assemble amino acids
into a protein chain.
transcription
DNA translation
RNA
Proteins
• 3 different RNA molecules involved in
protein synthesis:
mRNA (messenger RNA)
rRNA (ribosomal RNA
tRNA (transfer RNA)
PROTEIN SYTNESIS
• 1 step: Transcription
occurs in the nucleus
• 2 step: Translation
occurs in the cytoplasm
DNA Transcription
The proses of Transcription
Once DNA replicates its two strands, the information is copied into RNA
by the process called transcription. Let’s learn more about the process of
transcription.
Transcription is the first step of gene expression. During
this process, the DNA sequence of a gene is copied into
RNA.
RNA Polymerase
The RNA polymerase is the main enzyme
involved in transcription.
Transcription takes place in three steps: initiation,
elongation, and termination.
Step 1: Initiation
Initiation is the beginning of transcription. It occurs when the enzyme RNA polymerase
binds to a region of a gene called the promoter. This signals the DNA to unwind so the
enzyme can ‘‘read’’ the bases in one of the DNA strands. The enzyme is now ready to
make a strand of mRNA with a complementary sequence of bases.
Step 2: Elongation
Elongation is the addition of nucleotides to the mRNA strand. RNA polymerase
reads the unwound DNA strand and builds the mRNA molecule, using
complementary base pairs.
. During this process, an adenine (A) in the DNA binds to an uracil (U) in the RNA.
Step 3: Termination
Termination is the ending of transcription, and occurs when RNA polymerase
crosses a stop (termination) sequence in the gene. The mRNA strand is complete,
and it detaches from DNA.
DNA Translation
Translation is the process by which the genetic
code contained within a messenger RNA (mRNA)
molecule is decoded to produce a specific
sequence of amino acids in a polypeptide chain.
It occurs in the cytoplasm following
DNA transcription and, like transcription, has
three stages: initiation, elongation, and
termination.
Steps in Translation
1. mRNA leaves the nucleus and migrates to ribosome
2. mRNA binds to small ribosomal subunit
3. tRNA brings an amino acid to the ribosome, where anticodon
on the tRNA binds to the codon of the mRNA
4. The amino acid bonds to its adjoining amino acid to form a
growing polypeptide molecule
5. The tRNA without the amino acid is released from the
ribosome
6. Other tRNA’s bring amino acids to the ribosome to complete
the protein molecule
Protein translation
• In a eukaryotic cell, all transcription occurs in the nucleus
and translation occurs mainly at ribosomes in the
cytoplasm.
• The molecular chain of command in a cell is :
Transcription Translation
DNA mRNA Protein
Important
• Both DNA and RNA have a direction: one
end is the 3’ the other is the 5’ end.
• Thus, codons are read in one direction
only.
When things go wrong…
• Mutations: changes in the DNA sequence, that may be
passed along to future generations. Mutations can result from
errors in DNA replication during cell division
• Point mutations: a single base substitution
• Deletion: a small DNA segment is lost
• Insertion: a segment of DNA is added
• Frame-shift mutation: modification of the reading frame
after a deletion or insertion, resulting in all codons
downstreams being different.
Definitions
❖ Codons ( )الـشفرة الـﭽينيةor triplet code: it is a block of three consecutive متتالى
nucleotide bases that specify تحددa particular amino acid.
❖ Start codon: a codon that specifies the start of RNA translation.
❖ Stop codon: a codon that specifies the end of RNA translation.
❖ RNA polymerases: RNA transcription enzyme that first separates the DNA
strands at the suitable point then start to add nucleotides to the 3’ end of the
growing RNA polymer until completed.
❖ Transcription unit (the gene): a specific sequences of nucleotides along
the DNA that marks where RNA transcription begins and ends.
❖ Promotor ال ُم َحفـز: a specific short sequence on DNA at which RNA
polymerase attaches and initiates transcription at the beginning of the
transcription unit.
❖ Terminator منطقة النهاية: a specific short sequence on DNA at which RNA
transcription ends (the end of the gene).
❖ Transcription factor: a protein that can recognize the promotor region,
especially a TATA box, and bind to it, then, RNA polymerase attach to it in
order to start transcription.
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