Making Proteins from DNA
Learning Objective
I can describe the steps of protein synthesis, including transcription and translation. I can write an mRNA transcript from a DNA template. I can determine the amino acid sequence from an mRNA transcript.
Key Concepts
The first step of protein synthesis is transcription, which occurs in the nucleus and involves making a copy of a section of DNA.
During transcription, RNA polymerase unzips the DNA and matches RNA nucleotides to the DNA template, replacing thymine with uracil in the mRNA strand.
The second step of protein synthesis is translation, which occurs in the cytoplasm and involves ribosomes reading mRNA codons to add the correct amino acid using tRNA.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 12 practice questions to reinforce learning.
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1. What are the two main steps of protein synthesis, in the correct order?
2. Where does transcription occur in the cell?
3. What enzyme is responsible for unzipping DNA and assembling the mRNA strand during transcription?
...and 9 more questions
Educational Video
Protein Synthesis
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