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07 Translation Chapter

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Asmamaw Tesfaye
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1 views

07 Translation Chapter

Uploaded by

Asmamaw Tesfaye
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Genetic code and its translation

Objectives

 At the end of this chapter, students will be able


to:
 Describe the genetic code
 Explain the mechanisms of translation
 List the enzymes associated with translation &
know their specific functions.
Chapter Outline

 Genetic code
 Translation: Prokaryotic Vs Eukaryotic
 Protein Structure related to function
 Regulation of Translation
 Post-translation Modification
The Genetic Code
 Proteins are composed of one or more
polypeptides, which are inturn composed of
sequence of amino acids (aas).

 There are 20 aas & 4 bases (nucleotides) in our


body.

 A single base would not be specific for a single aa,


i.e., 4 bases can specify the linear arrangements
of 20 possible aas in one to one manner.
The Genetic Code cont’d
 A group of bases is required to symbolize each
amino acids; similarly, specific amino acids
could not be defined by couplets of bases
because 42 = 16 different couplets are
possible.

 If triplets of sets of bases are translated into


aas, however, 43 (64) possible combinations
can be achieved more than enough to specify
each aas.
The Genetic Code cont’d
 Therefore, 3 sequential bases are used to code
for a given aa.

 Triplets of bases, called codons & the


correspondence between aas & specific codons
is known as genetic code.

 The genetic code can be said to have 4 letters


in the alphabet & 64 words in the dictionary,
with each word containing three letters.
The Genetic Code cont’d
 The arrangement & number of letters used to
create a word define its meaning whenever
the letters changed, the meaning of the word
itself changed.
 The genetic information necessary to
determine characteristics of an organism is
encoded in the order of base in a DNA
molecule
 Similarly, the meaning of the genetic message
changes if the sequence of bases changed.
The Genetic Code cont’d
 Since the 4 nucleotide (bases) can be
arranged in 64 possible triplets sequences
of bases, any one of which will specify its
addition to the growing protein.

 61 codons serve as signals for amino acids


60 for straight forward signal of aas
1 for start codon (AUG, A you go)
The Genetic Code cont’d
3 codons can not specify aas (UGA, you go
away; UAG, you are gone & UAA, you all away)

 stop codons called nonsense codons to


distinguish them from the other 61
sense codons
Molecular Biology

Evidence that the genetic code is a triplet code:

1. 1960s: Francis Crick et al.

2. Studied frameshift mutations in bacteriophage


T4 (& E. coli), induced by the mutagen
proflavin.

3. Proflavin adds or deletes base pairs.

4. Two ways to identify mutant T4:

1. Growth with E. coli B:

• r+(wild type)  turbid plaques


• rII (mutant) 12/20/24 clear plaques
Molecular Biology

Evidence that the genetic code is a triplet code:

2. Growth with E. coli K12():

• r+ (wild type)  growth


• rII (mutant)  no growth

12/20/24
Molecular Biology
1. Discovered that frameshift mutations (addition
or deletion) resulted in a different sequence of
amino acids.

12/20/24
Molecular Biology

2.Combination of three r+ mutants routinely


yielded revertants, unlike other multiple
combinations.

12/20/24
Properties of genetic code

1. Universality: all organisms use identical


codons but mitochondria of eukaryotes
(except plants) use slightly different
assignments for a few codons.
2. Redundancy: some amino acids coded by a
single codon & some other by more than one
as many as six different codons, called
redundancy.
3. No ambiguity: note that while the code is
redundant, it is not ambiguous i.e. each
codon specifies for one & only one aa
4. Not overlap: codons are arrayed one after
another in the nRNA. The sequence of
codons start with AUG & ending with a stop
codon is called the reading frame
Translation
 The RNA to protein flow of genetic
information is termed as translation

 It reflects that the information in mRNAs as a


nucleotide sequence is translated into a new
language i.e., amino acid sequence

 It occurs in the cytoplasm of the cell which


requires tRNA & rRNA species
Translation cont’d
 tRNAs are recognized by aminoacyl tRNA
synthetase enzymes, which attach amino
acids to the 3´ attachment site of specific
tRNA molecules

 Each tRNA has a 3-base sequence


(anticodon) that facilitates specific
recognition & interaction with a codon
inmRNA
Translation tools
 Four major components
 Ribosomes
 Enzyme for peptide bond

 Site for mRNA binding

 Sites for bringing in and aligning amino

acids
 tRNA
 Reads the base sequence of mRNA

(Genetic code)
 Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases
 Initiation, Elongation, Release factors
20
Stages of translation
1. Initiation
 join mRNA, ribosome & amino-acyl-tRNA
(methionine) at 5' end of the mRNA
 joins to small subunit first; the large subunit
is added with the aid of initiation factors &
energy
 results in functional ribosome with mRNA &
with an amino-acyl-tRNA in its P-site
2. Elongation of translation
Stages:
 codon recognition: an incoming aminoacyl-
tRNA binds to codon at A-site
 peptide bond formation: peptide bond is
formed between new amino acid and
growing polypeptide chain
 Translocation: tRNA that was in P site is
released & tRNA in the A site is translocated
to.
Sites on ribosome
3. Termination of translation
 The elongation steps reaches at a stop
codon " UAG, UAA, or UGA”

 at this point the mRNA is released with the


aid of a releasing factor (protein) &, possibly,
poly-adenine tail

 protein now ready for final processing


Post transitional modification
 Purpose of modification:
produce folding of the mature protein
Stabilize its structure
Modification

• Cleavage into smaller polypeptide units


• Combination with other polypeptides to
for a large proteins
• Addition of carbohydrate side chains to
the polypeptides
• Removal of methionine
Summary

 Translation stage of RNA replication requires


tRNA and rRNA species

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