11. Translation

The Genetic Code

11. Translation

The Genetic Code

3:25 minutes

Problem 31

Textbook Question

A portion of the coding strand of DNA for a gene has the sequence
5′-...GGAGAGAATGAATCT...-3′

Assuming the mRNA is in the correct reading frame, write the amino acid sequence of the polypeptide using three-letter abbreviations and, separately, the amino acid sequence using one-letter abbreviations.

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Identify the coding strand of DNA provided: 5′-GGAGAGAATGAATCT-3′. Remember, the coding strand is complementary to the template strand and has the same sequence as the mRNA (except thymine is replaced by uracil in RNA).

Transcribe the coding strand into mRNA by replacing thymine (T) with uracil (U). The mRNA sequence will be 5′-GGAGAGAAUGAAUCU-3′.

Divide the mRNA sequence into codons (groups of three nucleotides). For this sequence, the codons are: GGA, GAG, AAU, GAA, UCU.

Use the genetic code table to translate each codon into its corresponding amino acid. For example, GGA codes for Glycine (Gly), GAG codes for Glutamic acid (Glu), and so on. Write the amino acid sequence using three-letter abbreviations.

Convert the three-letter amino acid sequence into one-letter abbreviations. For example, Glycine (Gly) becomes G, Glutamic acid (Glu) becomes E, and so on.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

DNA and RNA Transcription

Transcription is the process by which the genetic information in DNA is copied into messenger RNA (mRNA). The coding strand of DNA serves as a template for mRNA synthesis, where adenine (A) pairs with uracil (U) instead of thymine (T). Understanding this process is crucial for translating DNA sequences into mRNA, which is the first step in protein synthesis.

Translation and the Genetic Code

Translation is the process by which the mRNA sequence is decoded to synthesize a polypeptide chain, which will fold into a functional protein. The genetic code consists of codons, which are three-nucleotide sequences in mRNA that correspond to specific amino acids. Familiarity with the genetic code is essential for converting mRNA sequences into amino acid sequences using both three-letter and one-letter abbreviations.

Amino Acid Abbreviations

Amino acids can be represented using three-letter and one-letter abbreviations, which are standardized symbols used in biochemistry. For example, alanine is represented as 'Ala' in three-letter form and 'A' in one-letter form. Understanding these abbreviations is important for accurately conveying protein sequences in scientific communication.

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Textbook Question

The genetic code is degenerate. Amino acids are encoded by either 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 triplet codons (see Figure 13.7). An interesting question is whether the number of triplet codes for a given amino acid is in any way correlated with the frequency with which that amino acid appears in proteins. That is, is the genetic code optimized for its intended use? Some approximations of the frequency of appearance of nine amino acids in proteins in E. coli are given in the following:

Amino Acid Percentage
Met 2
Cys 2
Gln 5
Pro 5
Arg 5
Ile 6
Glu 7
Ala 8
Leu 10

Analyze your data to determine what, if any, correlations can be drawn between the relative frequency of amino acids making up proteins and the number of codons for each. Write a paragraph that states your specific and general conclusions.

581

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Textbook Question

The genetic code is degenerate. Amino acids are encoded by either 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 triplet codons (see Figure 13.7). An interesting question is whether the number of triplet codes for a given amino acid is in any way correlated with the frequency with which that amino acid appears in proteins. That is, is the genetic code optimized for its intended use? Some approximations of the frequency of appearance of nine amino acids in proteins in E. coli are given in the following:

Amino Acid Percentage
Met 2
Cys 2
Gln 5
Pro 5
Arg 5
Ile 6
Glu 7
Ala 8
Leu 10

Devise a way to graphically compare the two sets of information (data).

420

views

Textbook Question

The genetic code is degenerate. Amino acids are encoded by either 1, 2, 3, 4, or 6 triplet codons (see Figure 13.7). An interesting question is whether the number of triplet codes for a given amino acid is in any way correlated with the frequency with which that amino acid appears in proteins. That is, is the genetic code optimized for its intended use? Some approximations of the frequency of appearance of nine amino acids in proteins in E. coli are given in the following:

Amino Acid Percentage
Met 2
Cys 2
Gln 5
Pro 5
Arg 5
Ile 6
Glu 7
Ala 8
Leu 10

Determine how many triplets encode each amino acid.

634

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Textbook Question

A portion of the coding strand of DNA for a gene has the sequence
5′-...GGAGAGAATGAATCT...-3′

Write out the template DNA strand sequence and polarity as well as the mRNA sequence and polarity for this gene segment.

724

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Textbook Question

M. Klemke et al. (2001) discovered an interesting coding phenomenon in which an exon within a neurologic hormone receptor gene in mammals appears to produce two different protein entities ( and ALEX). Following is the DNA sequence of the exon's end derived from a rat.

5'-gtcccaaccatgcccaccgatcttccgcctgcttctgaagATGCGGGCCCAG

The lowercase letters represent the initial coding portion for the protein, and the uppercase letters indicate the portion where the ALEX entity is initiated. (For simplicity, and to correspond with the RNA coding dictionary, it is customary to represent the coding (non-template) strand of the DNA segment.)

Provide the amino acid sequence for each coding sequence. In the region of overlap, are the two amino acid sequences the same?

374

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Textbook Question

M. Klemke et al. (2001) discovered an interesting coding phenomenon in which an exon within a neurologic hormone receptor gene in mammals appears to produce two different protein entities ( and ALEX). Following is the DNA sequence of the exon's end derived from a rat.

5'-gtcccaaccatgcccaccgatcttccgcctgcttctgaagATGCGGGCCCAG

The lowercase letters represent the initial coding portion for the protein, and the uppercase letters indicate the portion where the ALEX entity is initiated. (For simplicity, and to correspond with the RNA coding dictionary, it is customary to represent the coding (non-template) strand of the DNA segment.)

Locate the initiator codon within the ALEX segment. Are the two initiator codons in frame?

454

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Textbook Question

M. Klemke et al. (2001) discovered an interesting coding phenomenon in which an exon within a neurologic hormone receptor gene in mammals appears to produce two different protein entities ( and ALEX). Following is the DNA sequence of the exon's end derived from a rat.

5'-gtcccaaccatgcccaccgatcttccgcctgcttctgaagATGCGGGCCCAG

The lowercase letters represent the initial coding portion for the protein, and the uppercase letters indicate the portion where the ALEX entity is initiated. (For simplicity, and to correspond with the RNA coding dictionary, it is customary to represent the coding (non-template) strand of the DNA segment.)

Locate the initiator codon within the XLαs segment.

481

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Textbook Question

M. Klemke et al. (2001) discovered an interesting coding phenomenon in which an exon within a neurologic hormone receptor gene in mammals appears to produce two different protein entities ( and ALEX). Following is the DNA sequence of the exon's end derived from a rat.

5'-gtcccaaccatgcccaccgatcttccgcctgcttctgaagATGCGGGCCCAG

The lowercase letters represent the initial coding portion for the protein, and the uppercase letters indicate the portion where the ALEX entity is initiated. (For simplicity, and to correspond with the RNA coding dictionary, it is customary to represent the coding (non-template) strand of the DNA segment.)

Convert the coding DNA sequence to the coding RNA sequence.

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