Microbiologyprocedure.com Community Toolbar Download ImageSubmit Your College, Institute, Company, Products for FREE
  Home  Link to us  DirectoryNEW  Site map  Search  Language

Index >> Biotechnology in Agriculture >>Protein Synthesis

Protein Synthesis

Protein Synthesis
Mitosis (cell division) results in the formation of tissues. Before cell division takes place, the chromosomes in the parent cell have to be dupli­cated so as to be equally shared by the daughter cells. This replication is carried out within the nucleus of the cell by the action of an enzyme known as DNA polymerase. The synthesis of proteins takes place within the cytoplasm of the cell away from the nucleus.

The genetic information in the DNA is conveyed to ribonucleic acid in ribosomes residing in the cytoplasm by a process known as transcription. During transcription, only one of the two strands of DNA becomes translated. into RNA by RNA polymerase. The synthesis of RNA always proceeds in a fixed direction beginning at the 5' end and concluding with 3' ended nucleotide.

The synthesized RNA from DNA of the nucleus in a cell moves into the ribosomes of the cytoplasm carrying with it information needed to syn­thesize protein in the ribosome. Hence, this RNA has come to be known as messenger RNA (mRNA). The 5' end of an mRNA molecule attaches to a ribosome.

A. Double Helix Showing Base Pairing of Nucleotides

B. Pairing of Adenine with thymine (2 Hydrogen Bonds) and Guanine with Cytosine (3 Hydrogen Bonds); dR Means Deoxyribose

Double Helix Showing Base Pairing of Nucleotides

Pairing of Adenine with thymine (2 Hydrogen Bonds) and Guanine with Cytosine (3 Hydrogen Bonds); dR Means Deoxyribose

 

About 4 per cent of total cellular RNA is mRNA. Since only a small segment of mRNA is attached at a given time to a ribosome which is moving across it, a single mRNA molecule can be read at the same time by several ribosomes, occurring as polyribosomes consisting of anywhere from 6 to 50 ribosome units.

Before the process of amino acid polymerization into proteins begins, the 20 different amino acids in a cell are first transformed into energy-rich precursors. These precursors get attached to a small transfer RNA (tRNA) molecule.A group of three nuc1eotides (triplet) constitute a tRNA and serves as an codon that uses base pairing to find three nearby nuc1eotides which in turn serves as a codon on a mRNA molecule.

Specific enzymes known as aminoacyl synthetases now begin to bind or attach aminoacids to specific tRNA molecules.Ribosomes are thus minifactories for protein synthesis by a series of codon-anticodon interactions which occur on their surfaces.

The Genetic Code

 

These interactions take place when mRNA molecules move across the active surface ofribosomes aligning successive codons into position to form successive aminoacids along polypeptide chains and this process is known as translation. There are 64 potential codons and of these 61 are used to specify amino acids while 3 are made use of to provide signals to terminate the formation of polypeptide chains. Several amino acids are determined by more than one codon. All the codons put together constitute the genetic code and this code is common to all forms of life including microorganisms.

 

Home | Site map | Submit Article | Directory | Search