SAY IT WITH DNA: PROTEIN SYNTHESIS WORKSHEET: Practice Pays

Having studied the process by which DNA directs the synthesis of proteins, you should be ready to decode some DNA
"secret" messages. To do this, you must follow the procedure of protein synthesis as this is taking place right now in your cells; no
short cuts! Practice these steps by following and finishing the partially solved message below.
STEP 1: "Build" the mRNA molecule, matching the RNA nucleotides to the DNA nucleotides properly, letter by letter.
(For purposes of simplicity, it will be assumed that this mRNA is bacterial; there are no introns to cut out!)
STEP 2: Figure out the tRNA triplets (codons) which would fit the mRNA triplets (letter by letter).
STEP 3: Look up each tRNA codon in the tRNA Dictionary (below), and find the corresponding symbol and amino acid
abbreviation for that codon. Record that one-letter symbol (and its amino acid) below each codon. "Spc" = "space". If you have
done this correctly, the symbols should spell out a meaningful message in English.

Remember, C always pairs with G, G always pairs with C, A pairs with T (in DNA) or U (in RNA), T!pairs with A, and U
(in RNA) pairs with A (in DNA). Clues: C & G are curved letters; A & T are angular; U is used in RNA in place of T.

When you finish the sample message below, decode the special message assigned to you (from the sheet with many
messages). Be sure to show the details of your solution on the Practice Sheet provided, and hand it in. In your DNA exam, you
will be expected to do this from memory (provided with the tRNA Dictionary).

PARTIALLY SOLVED MESSAGE

GIVEN: DNA code message --> GAA TAG AAA CTT ACT TAG AGC ATT CCT GCC CTT CGA TGC ATC

SOLUTION (steps 1-4)

1. mRNA (built to match
the DNA message,
letter for letter---------------------> CUU AUC UUU GAA UGA AUC UCG ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

2. tRNA (determined by
matching letters (bases)
with those in mRNA)------------> GAA UAG AAA CUU ACU UAG ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

3. Amino acids carried by L I P G I

each tRNA (according to e s h l | s
dictionary, below)---------------> u o e u o

4. Symbols of amino acids:----> L I F E I . . . . . . . .

DICTIONARY OF tRNA CODONS & THEIR AMINO ACIDS (SYMBOLS & ABBREVIATIONS)
tRNA sym AA tRNA sym AA tRNA sym AA tRNA sym AA
AAA F Phe CAA V Val GAA L Leu UAA I Iso
AAC L Leu CAC V Val GAC L Leu UAC M Met
AAG F Phe CAG V Val GAG L Leu UAG I Iso
AAU L Leu CAU V Val GAU L Leu UAU I Iso
ACA C Cys CCA G Gly GCA R Arg UCA S Ser
ACC W Trp CCC G Gly GCC R Arg UCC R Arg
ACG C Cys CCG G Gly GCG R Arg UCG S Ser
ACU - spc CCU G Gly GCU R Arg UCU R Arg
AGA S Ser CGA A Ala GGA P Pro UGA T Thr
AGC S Ser CGC A Ala GGC P Pro UGC T Thr
AGG S Ser CGG A Ala GGG P Pro UGG T Thr
AGU S Ser CGU A Ala GGU P Pro UGU T Thr
AUA Y Tyr CUA D Asp GUA H His UUA N Asn
AUC - spc CUC E Glu GUC Q Glu UUC K Lys
AUG Y Tyr CUG D Asp GUG H His UUG N Asn
AUU - spc CUU E Glu GUU Q Glu UUU K Lys
 DNA MESSAGES 1-30

1. CCT CTT TGC ACT CGG ATC GTA CGC TAT TCT ATG ATT ACA CGG TTG CGA TCC ATA ATC

2. AGA TAC TAG GAC CTT ACT CGA TTG CTG ATT GCG CGA CTA TAA CGG TGC CTC ACT CGG ATT AAC TAG
TGC TGA AAT CTT ATT ACG GTA CTT CTC GCC ATC

3. TCC CTT GGG GAA TAT ACA CGC TGG CTT ACT CGA ATT TGA CTC CGT ACG GTA CTC GCC ATC

4. AGA ACA TAA CTC TTA ACA CTC TAA AGA CCA GCA CTC CGA TGA

5. TAA ACT CGG TAC ATT CTA GCT TAG CAC TAA TTA CCC ATC

6. TAC CGT TTC CTT ATT GAT CGC GCC CCA CTC ATT CTT CGG TCT AGG ATC

7. CTA GCC CTC CGT TAC TAG TTA CCT ACT TAT TCA ATT TTG TAA ACG CTC ATC CGA ACC CGC TTT TAA
TTG CCC ACT TAG TCG ATT ACC CGT TTA TGT TAA TTA CCT ATC

8. ACC GTG ATA ACT CGT GCT CTT ATT ACC CTC ACT AAT CTC CGG TCC TTA TAT TTG CCT ATT TGC GTA
TAG TCG ATC

9. TAC CGA TTT CTT ACT AGT GGC TCC TAT TTA CCT ATA ATT ACA GTG TAA ACG TTC CTC TTA TCA ATC

10. CTA TTA CGA ACT TAG AGC ATT GAA TAG AAA CTT ATC

11. CTC CAC GTG AGA ATT CAC CGA GCA TCA TAG TGG ATG ATT AGA ACC TAT TAC TAC TAT TTG CCT ATC

12. ACC GTG ATA ACT CGA GCA CTC ATT GGC AAC CGC TTA TGT AGC ATT CCT TCT CTC CTT TTG ATC

13. ACG GCT CTC CGT TGT CTC ACT CGA TTG ATT CTC ATG CTT ATC

14. CTG CTT AGT TAT CCA TTG ACT CGA ATT GTG CGC TTG CTG ATC

15. ACA GCC CTT CGC TGC CTC ACT CGA ATT AAA TAT TTG CCA CTC GCT ATC

16. AAA TAT TTA CTA ACT TGG GTA CTT ATT AGC CTC ACG GCG CTT TGT ATT TAC CTC AGA AGC CGA CCA
CTC ATC
17. CTT CGA TGA ATT CCA GCC CTC CTT TTG ATC CTT CCA CCT AGC ATC CGA TTG CTA ACT GTA CGC TAM

18. AGT TAC TAA GAA CTT ACT TAG TGT TCA ATC GTA CTT CGA GAG TGG GTA ATG

19. ACC CGA TGG CTC TCT ATC TAT AGC ATT ACA AAC CTC CGA GCG

20. ACG CTT GAA AAT AGG ACT CGA TCT CTC ATC CCG TCC CTG CGC TGC ATT TGT GTA TAG TTA CCC AGG

21. GAA CTC CGA TCT TTG TAT CCG ACT CTA TTA CGG ATC TAA AGC ATT CCT TCC CTT CGT TGT

22. TAC ATA ACT TAC TAG TTA CTA ATC TAT AGA ATT TAC CGA CCC TTG TAT AAA TAG ACG CTT TTA TGC
ATC

23. TAA ACT GTG CGA CAC CTC ATT CGT ATC CTA GCG CTT CGT TAC ATC

24. AGA CGG CAA CTC ATT TGG GTG CTT ACT TGT TCT CTT CTC AGT ATC

25. CCG GCA CTC CTT CTA ATT GCT CTT TAG CCA TTA AGT ACT TAA TTG ATC ACC CGA AAT GAG ATT AGG
TGT TCC CTC CTT TGC ATC

26. GAT TAA AAA CTC ACT TAG AGC ATT AGT GGG CTT ACA TAA CGG GAA ATC

27. ACC GTA ATG ATT TAG AGG ATC CTG TTA CGA ACT TTG CTC ACA CTT AGC AGT CGG TCC ATA ATC

28. GTA CGA GGA GGA ATG ATC CAA CGA AAC CTC TTA TGA TAA TTA CTC AGG ATC CTA CGA ATA ATC

29. AAT CTC CGA GCT TTG TAG TTA CCC ATT TAG AGT ATC TAG TTG TGT CTC GCT CTC AGG TGC TAT TTG
CCT ACT

30. CGA ACT AGA TAA CCC TTA TAG AAA TAT ACA CGC TTG TGA AAC ATA ATC CGG CTG CAA CGT TTA ACA
CTC CTA ATT AGG ACA TAA CTC TTG ACA CTT ACT TAG AGA ACT CTC CGC TCA TAG GAG ATA ATT
TAC TAA AGA TGA CGG TTT CTT TTG ACT CGA AGC ATT TAC CGC CCC TAG ATC
 SAY IT WITH DNA: Making New Messages
Since you will be expected to decipher a DNA message in the unit exam, it would be wise to get as
much practice as possible. If you can have fun in the process, so much the better! You are to think up at
least one good (clever? funny?) message which can be written using only the 20 symbols representing the
20 amino acids. Those 20 amino acids are represented by a universal single letter code, using all the letters
in the English alphabet except B, J, O, U, X, and Z. This means, of course, that your message cannot have
any B, J, O, U, X, or Z letters in it! A little restrictive, you see, so you will need to be a bit creative.

After you have created your message (in English) on scratch paper, carefully print its DNA code
along the length of a full separate sheet of notebook paper, held horizontally, using DNA triplets ONLY.
Try to keep it to one long row; make the letters clear. Do NOT include the English translation; just keep it
to your self. Now place your name and period at the top and hand it in. Your message will be exchanged
with that from another message-creator for translation practice, and will be entered into our annual DNA
Message Contest. CAUTION: obscene or derogatory messages are not acceptable, so use good judgment.
You may enter one or more times. Hand in your translated message with your name as "translator".

You will quickly notice that there is more than one codon for nearly every amino acid. Make a
point of using different codons whenever you can for the same (amino acid) letter-symbol, especially when
they occur side by side in succession.

Use the DNA-Amino Acid Dictionary below to help make your messages. You will need the tRNA
Dictionary on your Protein Synthesis Worksheet for solving the messages.

“DNA - AMINO ACID DICTIONARY”

DNA Codons and the Amino Acids (symbols and abbreviations) for which they code.

DNA AA AA DNA AA AA DNA AA AA DNA AA AA

codon sym abr codon sym abr codon sym abr codon sym abr
CGA A ala GTA H his GGA P pro TCA S ser
CGC A ala GTG H his GGC P pro TCG S ser
CGG A ala TAA I iso GGG P pro TGA T thr
CGT A ala TAG I iso GGT P pro TGC T thr
ACA C cys TAT I iso GTC Q glu TGG T thr
ACG C cys TTC K lys GTT Q glu TGT T thr
CTA D asp TTT K lys GCA R arg CAA V val
CTG D asp AAC L leu GCC R arg CAC V val
CTC E glu AAT L leu GCG R arg CAG V val
CTT E glu GAA L leu GCT R arg CAT V val
AAA F phe GAC L leu TCC R arg ACC W trp
AAG F phe GAG L leu TCT R arg ATA Y tyr
CCA G gly GAT L leu AGA S ser ATG Y tyr
CCC G gly TAC M met AGC S ser ACT - space
CCG G gly TTA N asn AGG S ser ATC - space
CCT G gly TTG N asn AGT S ser ATT - space

Letters NOT available: B J O U X Z