Photo credit: Firefly with glow, by Terry Priest on Flickr (Creative Commons)//flic.kr/p/h1KAJ

Photo credit: Firefly with glow, by Terry Priest on Flickr (Creative Commons)http://flic.kr/p/h1KAJ

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/molecules/firefly/

(Protein)

Transcription animation:http://www.stolaf.edu/people/giannini/flashanimat/molgenetics/transcription.swf

Translation animation:http://www.stolaf.edu/people/giannini/flashanimat/molgenetics/translation.swf

Transcription

The decision to transcribe a gene is the most important step in the control of gene expression.

Transcription starts and stops at distinct sites at the ends of a gene.

A gene

Animation

Eukaryotic Genes are Segmented

Genes are made of parts represented in the mRNA (exons) and parts that are transcribed but not present in the mRNA (introns).

In some genes more than 90% of the pre-mRNA is destroyed, never to appear in the mRNA.

Introns are removed from the primary transcript and exons are spliced together to make mRNA.

Animation

Alternative Splicing – More Bang for the Buck

This has the consequence that the count of our genes (~20,000) seriously underestimates the count of our different proteins.

The Genetic Language Uses 4 Letters Written Into 3-Letter Words

http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/begin/dna/firefly/

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