Gene to Protein

How DNA Makes You Part 1: Transcription

How to Bake Grandma’s Cookies(Another Food Analogy to Help You Learn Biology)

1. Copy the recipe from Grandma’s secret recipe file.

Location of recipe: Grandma’s house

Product: Instructions to make the best cookies in Hoboken NJ(words)

Grandma lives in a retirement home, so she doesn’t cook.

Leave Grandma’s & go to your kitchen where you will find the ingredients and utensils to make the cookies.

2. Read and follow instructions

Add ingredients in correct amounts & order; bake for required time

Product:Best cookies in Bucks County PA

How is this analogous to biology?

How does the information (recipe) produce the cookies (product)?

How does the information in genes (sections of DNA) produce the traits (products) that make up each organism?

What are the “products” that cause you to look and function as you?

Review: Proteins Polymers of amino acids (monomers) Structure (3-D) determines function Proteins are used for:

1. Structure2. Movement 3. Storage 4. Defense 5. Transport 6. Signaling 7. Enzymes

DNA contains the “recipe” for every protein in your body

Information is copied in the nucleus Copy leaves nucleus cytoplasm Information used to assemble proteins Trait: freckles, bent pinky, floppy

earlobes, curly hair

The Big Picture: 2 steps in protein synthesis

1. Transcription information from gene is copied

2. Translation Information is used to assemble amino acids into proteins

Traits are determined by those proteins

DNA – Original Text of Information

mRNA - Working copy of instructions

Three types of RNA:

Messenger RNA (mRNA) Copies information from DNA

Transfer RNA (tRNA) Brings correct amino acids to build protein

Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) Helps form ribosomes: the workbench where proteins are assembled

Transcription: What

Information from a single, specific gene in DNA is copied to make mRNA (messages)

Transcription: Who

DNA – Master source of information (the complete database)

mRNA – Copies information to make a specific single protein(that’s why your eye cells do not make toenails!)

RNA polymerase – adds nucleotides to growing mRNA

Transcription: Why

Protect DNA in nucleus

Information from only one gene is copied by each mRNA to produce a specific protein

Transcription: Where

Nucleus of cell

Transcription: How

Step by step (lew-Port – complete;

view the first section for transcription)

Initiation – begin at promoter*

Elongation – add nucleotides to growing mRNA

Termination – stop copying at end of gene

Overview - tutorial

Transcription details Initiation: Promoter identifies region to be

transcribed Elongation - Coding region has information for

mRNA RNA polymerase adds nucleotides to mRNA Termination - ends transcript mRNA is “processed” before leaving nucleus

Transcription: How

Transcription Complete

Transcription: The Product

mRNA copy of DNA information to make protein

Processed (remove introns) mRNA leaves the nucleus mRNA enters cytoplasm for translation

Watch transcription in action (DNAi)

click “copying the code” click putting it together click Transcription After viewing this WAY COOL

movie, click interactive and make your own RNA.

Transcribe a gene (DNAi)

Links for more information: Lew-Port Protein Synthesis RNA is very similar to DNA Transcription overview (biocoach) Transcription Process (biocoach) Transcription complete (biocoach)