How to Make a Protein.

This week in AP Biology we reviewed transcription, RNA processing, and translation. These three processes are what enables helps DNA in the production of proteins. 

Transcription is the first of these processes. The enzyme RNA polymerase attaches to DNA, and starts adding nucleotides. Unlike DNA, in RNA strands adenine bonds with uracil instead of thymine. The strand of RNA then goes through RNA processing. During this process spicesomes cut out the introns in the RNA so that their is only extrinsic left. Next a 5' cap made of guanine is placed at the beginning of the strand and a poly A tail, A standing for adenine, is added to the end. These previous process all deal with mRNA and inside the nucleus. The next process takes place outside of the nucleus and deals with tRNA as well. 

Translation is the reading of mRNA and creating a protein made of amino acids. After RNA processing the smaller subunit of a ribosome will attach to mRNA and the larger subunit will follow. Next, the ribosome will read the mRNA and bring one amino acids per codon. These amino acids are brought by tRNA. The tRNA will dock at the docking site of a ribosome the amino acid it carries will form a peptide bond with amino acids that are already there, and then once getting rid of the amino acid it will leave the ribosome. Once the ribosome is finished with the mRNA the ribosome unattachs and the amino acid chain has formed a protein. From there it will either be used by the cell or a vesicle will transport it out of the cell. 

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