Transcription and translation of a gene composed of 30 nucleotides wou...
Transcription and Translation of a 30-Nucleotide Gene
Transcription is the process by which DNA is used as a template to produce RNA, while translation is the process by which RNA is used as a template to produce proteins. In this case, we will look at how a gene composed of 30 nucleotides would be transcribed and translated to form a protein containing no more than 10 amino acids.
Transcription
During transcription, the DNA molecule is unwound and the RNA polymerase enzyme binds to the region of the DNA molecule where the gene is located. The RNA polymerase then reads the DNA code and synthesizes a complementary RNA molecule using the base pairing rules (A-U, G-C).
The gene composed of 30 nucleotides would be transcribed into an RNA molecule also composed of 30 nucleotides. This RNA molecule is called messenger RNA (mRNA) as it carries the genetic code from the DNA to the ribosome.
Translation
During translation, the mRNA is read by the ribosome and translated into a protein. The ribosome reads the mRNA in codons, which are groups of three nucleotides that code for a specific amino acid.
The codons in the mRNA are then matched with their corresponding amino acids by transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules. Each tRNA molecule carries a specific amino acid and has an anticodon that matches the codon in the mRNA.
Since each codon codes for a specific amino acid, the 30-nucleotide mRNA molecule can code for a maximum of 10 amino acids. This is because there are three nucleotides per codon, and each amino acid is coded for by a specific codon.
Conclusion
In summary, a gene composed of 30 nucleotides would be transcribed into an RNA molecule also composed of 30 nucleotides. This RNA molecule can then be translated into a protein containing no more than 10 amino acids due to the maximum number of amino acids that can be coded for by a 30-nucleotide mRNA molecule.