Central Dogma:

DNA RNA Proteins

Transcription:

1) Occurs in the nucleus once DNA strands have split.

2) mRNA forms a copy of the nitrogenous bases of the anti-sense strands only.
3) Same sequence of bases except thymine is replaced by uracil.
4) After transcription, this mRNA moves out of the nucleus through nuclear pores.

Translation:

1) After the messenger RNA moves out of the nucleus, ribosomes attach themselves to this
Messenger RNA strand.
2) The ribosomes cover an area of 3 codons on the mRNA strand.
3) The first transport RNA will bring an amino acid and the anti-codon exposed on the transport
RNA will have complementary binding with the codon of the messenger RNA in the site A of
the ribosome.
4) The ribosome will move and the first tRNA will be in the site P on the ribosome.
5) The m RNA chain will move further into the ribosome such that the A site now has the
second codon exposed. The second t RNA carrying an amino acid will fill site A with its anti-
codon exposed.
6) Complementary binding will take place and the new amino acid will attach to the first (by a
condensation reaction, with water molecule as a by-product. The first amino acid will be
released by the t RNA.
7) In this manner, the t RNA’s will move sequentially from site A to P to E and the new amino
acid chain will continue to form a protein until the stop codon (UAA, UAG, UGA). In this case,
the translation will not occur, but the translation process will stop.