Protein Synthesis and Genetic Code

Abstract

In order to function our bodies, we need to supply them with a variety of nutrients. The process of chemical digestion uses different proteins and enzymes to break down the food particles into usable nutrients ourselves can absorb. The instructions to make proteins are contained in our DNA. DNA contains genes. A gene is a continuous string of nucleotides containing a region that codes for an RNA molecule. This region begins with a promoter and ends in a Terminator. Genes also contain regulatory sequences that can be found near the promoter or at a more distant location. For some genes, the encoded RNA is used to synthesize a protein in a process called gene expression for these genes expression can be divided into two processes, transcription and translation in eukaryotic cells. The central dogma of molecular biology describes the two-step process, transcription and translation, by which the information in genes flows into proteins: DNA → RNA → protein. The pathway of protein synthesis is called Translation because the language of nucleotide sequence on mRNA is translated into the language of an amino acid sequence. The process of Translation requires a Genetic code, through which the information contained in nucleic acid sequence is expressed to produce a specific sequence of amino acids.