CENTRAL DOGMA OF LIFE

MODULE: What is DNA Replication, Transcription and

Translation?
DNA vs RNA

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 NUCLEAR BASE PAIRING

Scientists involved in DNA work

James Watson and Francis Crick

• They did not discover DNA or even if DNA contained genetic
information

Rosalind Franklin
● She first took a photo of DNA
through X-ray crystallography,
giving a basis for the double helix
structure of DNA, but she was
not recognized for her work.

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 DNA Replication, Transcription and
Translation
DNA Replication

Transcription
Transcription is the process of producing a strand of RNA from a strand of DNA. Similar to the
way DNA is used as a template in DNA replication, it is again used as a template during
transcription. The information that is stored in DNA molecules is rewritten or ‘transcribed’ into
a new RNA molecule.

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TRANSLATION
Translation is the process where the information carried in mRNA molecules is used to create
proteins. The specific sequence of nucleotides in the mRNA molecule provide the code for the
production of a protein with a specific sequence of amino acids.

Much like how RNA is built from many nucleotides, a protein is formed from many amino acids.
A chain of amino acids is called a ‘polypeptide chain’ and a polypeptide chain bends and folds
on itself to form a protein.

During translation, the information of the strand of RNA is ‘translated’ from RNA language into
polypeptide language i.e. the sequence of nucleotides is translated into a sequence of amino
acids.

NUCLEOTIDE BASES ARE TRANSLATED INTO 20 DIFFERENT AMINO ACIDS

RNA molecules only contain four different types of nitrogenous bases but there are 20 different
amino acids that are used to build proteins. In order to turn four into 20, a combination of three
nitrogenous bases provides the information for one amino acid.

Codons - Each three-base ‘word’ is called a ‘codon’ and the series of codons holds the
information for the production of the polypeptide chain. There are a total of 64 different
codons and more than one codon translates into each amino acid.

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A strand of mRNA obviously has multiple codons which provide the information for multiple
amino acids. A tRNA molecule reads along one codon of the mRNA strand and collects the
necessary amino acid from the cytoplasm.

The tRNA returns to the ribosome with the amino acid, binds to the complementary bases of
the mRNA codon, and the amino acid is added to the end of polypeptide chain as the RNA
molecules move through the ribosome.

Codon - sequence of three DNA or RNA nucleotides that

corresponds with a specific amino acid

AUG (methionine)
– start codon
UAG, UAA & UGA
– stop codon

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EXAMPLE:

References:
Vengco, L.G. & Religioso, T.F. (2016). You and The Natural World: Earth and Life
Science. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.
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 ACTIVITY Replication, Transcription & Translation Worksheet
SAY IT WITH DNA MESSAGES. Strictly, use letter symbols
for the amino acids. For the sake of the activity, you will

TIME! not begin at the start codon and not end at the stop
codon. Please translate the whole mRNA transcript. The
stop codons will symbolize as space with decoding the
hidden message.

1.DNA: AGT TAC TAA GAA CTT ACT TAG TGT TCA ATC GTA CTT CGA GAG TGG GTA ATG
Replicated
DNA: ________________________________________________________________________________
AGT TAC TAA GAA CTT ACT TAG TGT TCA ATC GTA CTT CGA GAG TGG GTA
ATG
mRNA:_______________________________________________________________________________
UCA AUG AUU CUU GAA UGA AUC ACA AGU UAG CAU GAA GCU CUC ACC CAU
tRNA:________________________________________________________________________________
UACUAC UAA GAA CUU ACU UAG UGU UCA AUC GUA CUU CGA GAG UGG GUA AUG
AGU
Amino
SER MET ILE LEU GLU STOP ILE THR SER STOP HIS GLU ALA LEU THR HIS TYR
Acids:________________________________________________________________________________
Message:_____________________________________________________________________________
SMILE ITS HEALTHY

2. TAC ATA ACT TAC TAG TTA CTA ATC TAT AGA ATT TAC CGA CCC TTG TAT AAA TAG ACG CTT TTA TGC
ATC
Replicated
TAC ATA ACT TAC TAG TTA CTA ATC TAT AGA ATT TAC CGA CCC TTG TAT AAA TAG ACG CTT TTA TGC
DNA:_________________________________________________________________________________
ATC
mRNA:_______________________________________________________________________________
AUG UAU UGA AUG AUC AAU GAU UAG AUA UCU UAA AUG GCU GGG AAC AUA UUU AUC UGC GAA AAU ACG
UAG
tRNA:________________________________________________________________________________
UAC AUA ACU UAC UAG UUA CUA AUC UAU AGA AUU UAC CGA CCC UUG UAU AAA UAG ACG CUU UUA UGC
AminoAUC
MET TYR STOP MET ILE ASN ASP STOP ILE SER STOP MET ALA GLY ASN ILE PHE ILE
Acids:________________________________________________________________________________
CYS GLU ASN THR STOP

Message:_____________________________________________________________________________
MY MIND IS MAGNIFICENT

3. CTA GCC CTC CGT TAC TAG TTA CCT ACT TAT TCA ATT TTG TAA ACG CTC ATC CGA ACC CGC TTT TAA
TTG CCC ACT TAG TCG ATT ACC CGT TTA TGT TAA TTA CCT ATC
Replicated CTA GCC CTC CGT TAC TAG TTA CCT ACT TAT TCA ATT TTG TAA ACG CTC ATC CGA ACC CGC TTT TAA TTG CCC ACT
DNA:_________________________________________________________________________________
TAG TCG ATT ACC CGT TTA TGT TAA TTA CCT ATC
GAU CGG GAG GCA AUG AUC AAU GGA UGA AUA AGU UAA AAC AUU UGC GAG UAG GCU UGG GCG AAA AUU AAC GGG UGA
mRNA:_______________________________________________________________________________
AUC AGC UAA UGG GCA AAU ACA AUU AAU GGA UAG
CUA GCC CUC CGU UAC UAG UUA CCU ACU UAU UCA AUU UUG UAA ACG CUC AUC CGA ACC CGC UUU UAA UUG CCC ACU UAG
tRNA:________________________________________________________________________________
UCG AUU ACC CGU UUA UGU UAA UUA CCU AUC
Amino
ASP ARG GLU ALA MET ILE ASN GLY STOP ILE SER STOP ASN ILE CYS GLU STOP ALA TRP ALA LYS ILE ASN GLY STOP ILE SER STOP
Acids:________________________________________________________________________________
TRP ALA ASN THR ILE ASN GLY STOP

Message:_____________________________________________________________________________
DREAMING IS NICE AWAKING IS WANTING

CONGRATULATIONS
FOR FINISHING THIS
MODULE!