LECTURE 7

TRANSCRIPTION &
TRANSLATION
Biology, Campbell & Reece
7th Edn. Ch 17, pp. 309-312, pp. 315-328

By

Mohamed Abumaree
Molecular Reproductive Biologist & Immunologist
College of medicine
King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Science
2009

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 Genetic Information
 Genetic materials which are stored in nucleotide
sequences along the DNA molecule orders the
synthesis of proteins leading to specific traits

Proteins link Genotype to Phenotype

One Gene–One Polypeptide Hypothesis
 Genes indirectly instruct protein synthesis through
RNA….
RNA SO, RNA links DNA to protein

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 Protein Synthesis

Transcription Translation
Transcription
The synthesis of
RNA (mRNA)
under the direction
of DNA

Translation
 The translation of mRNA sequence into an
amino acid sequence (Synthesizing polypeptide)
 The sites of translation are ribosomes
 Proteins are not translated directly from DNA:

1) To protect the DNA & its genetic information

2) To make more copies of a protein (many RNA

transcripts can be made from one gene)

3) To translate each RNA transcript repeatedly

 Transcription & translation are similar in
prokaryotes & eukaryotes, but the flow of genetic
information within the cells is different

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 In a eukaryotic cell
(not prokaryotic cell),
transcription occurs in
the nucleus

 Then mRNA is
transported to the
cytoplasm, where
translation occurs

Before mRNAs leave the nucleus, they are modified to

produce the final, functional mRNA
 Genetic Code
 Codon (triplet
code) is composed
of 3 consecutive
(non-overlapping)
bases

 64 codons
specifying all
amino acids

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 For each gene, only 1 strand of DNA is transcribed
into mRNA molecule
 mRNA molecule is complementary to its DNA
template & synthesized in an antiparallel direction
 Codons are written and read by the translation
machinery in 5′ → 3′ direction along mRNA molecule
 During translation,
translation codons along mRNA molecule is
translated into a sequence of amino acids making up a
polypeptide chain
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 Stages of Transcription

Initiation Termination
Elongation
 Initiation of
Transcription

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 Eukaryotic promoter:

1) TATA box: a nucleotide sequence upstream from

transcription start point
2) Determines which of 2 strands of DNA helix is used
as template
 RNA polymerase specifically recognizes and binds to
promoter
 Transcription factors recognize and bind TATA box to
mediate RNA polymerase binding to DNA
 RNA polymerases assemble a polynucleotide in its 5′
→ 3′ direction
 RNA polymerases can start a chain from scratch (they
don’t need a primer)
 Additional transcription factors bind to DNA along
with RNA polymerase, forming transcription initiation
complex
 Then, DNA double helix unwinds and RNA synthesis
begins at the start point on the template strand
Elongation

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 RNA polymerase
untwist DNA double
helix to add
nucleotides to 3′ end
of growing RNA
molecule as it
continues along the
double helix

Then, new RNA

molecule peels away
from its DNA
template and DNA
double helix re–forms
 Termination
 A termination signal,
signal causing detachment of
RNA polymerase from DNA molecule
 Then, transcript is released to be available for
immediate use as mRNA
Modification of mRNA Ends
 At the 5′ end,
end G nucleotide is added to form a 5′ cap
 At the 3′ end,
end adenine nucleotides are added to form a
poly–A tail
 The 5′ cap & poly–A tail have important functions:
1) Facilitate the export of mature mRNA from nucleus

2) Protect mRNA degradation from hydrolytic enzymes

3) Help the attachment of the 5′ end of the mRNA to

ribosomes
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UTRs regions are not translated into
protein, but they mediate ribosome
binding
Split Genes &
RNA Splicing

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 Eukaryotic genes have introns, a non-coding sequences
(Not translated)

 In RNA splicing process, introns are cut out from RNA

molecule and exons joined together,
together forming mRNA
molecule

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Translation

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 Translation is the interpretation of a genetic
message by a cell to build a polypeptide

 Transfer RNA (tRNA) transfers amino acids from

the cytoplasm to the ribosome where amino acid is
added the growing end of a polypeptide chain

 There are different tRNA molecules

 Each type of tRNA molecule translates a particular

mRNA codon into a particular amino acid

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 As a tRNA molecule
arrives at a ribosome, it
bears a specific amino
acid at one end and at
the other end a
nucleotide triplet (anti-
codon), which base–
pairs with a
complementary codon
on mRNA
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 In eukaryote, tRNA are transcribed from DNA
templates in the nucleus & travel from the nucleus to
the cytoplasm

 Each tRNA molecule picks up its designated amino

acid in the cytosol & deposits it at the ribosome

 Then, tRNA leaves the ribosome to pick up another

amino acid

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 Ribosomes
 A ribosome is made up of proteins & ribosomal
RNA (rRNA)

 In eukaryotes, the rRNA genes are transcribed &

assembled with proteins in the nucleus,
nucleus then
exported to the cytoplasm

 rRNA is the most abundant type of RNA

 In addition to a binding site for mRNA, each

ribosome has 3 binding sites for tRNA
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Polypeptide
Synthesis

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Initiation

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Elongation

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 A polypeptide is always synthesized in one direction,
direction
from the initial methionine at the N–terminus toward the
final amino acid at the C–terminus
 Amino acids are added one by one to the preceding
amino acid
 mRNA is moved through the ribosome in one direction,
5′ end first
 Ribosome and mRNA move relative to each other,
codon by codon
 Elongation is repeated as each amino acid is added to
the chain until the polypeptide is completed
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Termination

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 Elongation continues
until a stop codon in
mRNA reaches A site of
ribosome

 The base triplets UAG,

UAA and UGA do not
code for amino acids but
act as signals to stop
translation
 Release factor protein binds directly to the stop codon
in the A site, causing the addition of a water molecule NOT
an amino acid to the polypeptide chain
 The reaction hydrolyzes the completed
polypeptide from the tRNA in the P site, releasing
the polypeptide
 Then, the remainder of the translation assembly
comes apart
Polyribosomes

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 A single ribosome can make a polypeptide in
less than a minute
 A single mRNA is used to make many copies
of a polypeptide simultaneously, because
several ribosomes can translate the message
from one mRNA at the same time
 Once a ribosome moves past the start
codon, a second ribosome can attach to the
mRNA; thus, a number of ribosomes may
follow along one mRNA
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 Such sequences of ribosomes, called polyribosomes
(polysomes ), which are found in prokaryotic &
eukaryotic cells

 Polyribosomes enable a cell to make many

copies of a polypeptide very quickly

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 Completing & Targeting
the Functional Protein
The process of translation is not
sufficient to make a functional protein,
so, polypeptide chains undergo
modification after the translation process
& targeting completed proteins to specific
sites in the cell

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