Protein - a molecule that contains the instructions an organisms need to

- one of the four nutrients of the body which helps in repairing the develop, live and reproduce
worn out tissues of the muscles - coiled tightly to form chromosomes, where each chromosome
contains a single DNA molecule. In human body, there are 23 pairs of
Protein Synthesis chromosomes that can be found in a cell’s nuclues, while in eukaryotic
- one of the most fundamental biological processes by which cells, it is found in the cytoplasm.
individual cells build their specific proteins which is done through the
help of genes Discovery
Frederich Miescher
DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) - a German biochemist
Structure and Composition - first observed the DNA molecule as present inside the nuclei of
- made up of molecules called nucleotides lymphocytes but did not realize the importance of this molecule
- nucleotides are said to be the basic building blocks of DNA.
These nucelotides contain a phosphate group, a sugar group and Phoebus Levene
the nitrogen base. - a Russian biochemist
Four Types of Nitrogen Bases: - proposed that nucleic acids are made up of nucleotides
- Adenine (A)
- Thymine (T) Erwin Chargaff
- Guanine (G) - an Austrian biochemist
- Cytosine (C) - framed the Chargaff's rule, which states that the total amount of
- it can ONLY form four pairings: A-T; T-A; G-C; and purines (A+G) is nearly the same as the total amount of pyrimidines
C-G (T+C)
- the order of these bases determine the DNA’s
instruction or the genetic code James Watson, Francis Crick, Francis Crick and Rosalind
- also, the sequence these bases form genes, which is the Franklin
language of the cell that tells the cell how to make protein - figured out the structure of DNA - double helix in 1953
- its sugar-phosphate backbone contains 'deoxyribose' which do not - excluding Rosalind Franklin, were awarded the Nobel Prize in
contain hydroxyl group Medicine in 1962 “for their discoveries concerning the molecular
structure of nucleic acids and its signifance for information transfer in - longer, stable RNA molecules composing 60% of ribosome's
living material” mass

RNA (Ribonucleic Acid)

Structure and Composition
-typically single stranded and is made of ribonucleotides that are
linked by phosphodiester bonds. A ribonucleotide in the RNA chain
contains ribose (pentose sugar), ONE of the four nitrogen bases and a
phospate group
Four Types of Nitrogen Bases:
- Adenine (A)
- Uracil (U)
- Guanine (G)
- Cytosine (C)
- its sugar-phosphate backbone contains 'ribose' that contains
hydroxyl group

Role of RNA's in Protein Synthesis

Structure Fuction
mRNA (messenger RNA) mRNA
- short unstable, single stranded RNA corresponding to a gene - serves as intermediary between DNA and protein; used by
encoded within DNA ribosome to direct synthesis of protein it encodes

tRNA (transfer RNA) tRNA

- short (70-90 nucleotides), stable RNA with extensive - carries the correct amino acid to the site of protein synthesis in
intermolecular base pairing; contains an amino acid binding site and an the ribosome
mRNA binding site
rRNA
rRNA (ribosome RNA) - links amino acids together to form proteins
Flow of Genetic Information
- Lysine
DNA transcription RNA translation Protein - Methionine
- Phenylalanine
Transcripion - Proline
- the information encoded in the DNA is copied to a RNA molecule - Serine
as one strand of the DNA double helix is used as a template - Threonine
Tranlation - Tryptophan
- the synthesis of proteins according to instructions given ny - Tyrosine
mRNA templates - Valine

Genetic Code
- full set of relationships between codons and amino acids (or stop
signals)
List of Amino Acids
- Alanine
- Arginine
- Asparagine
- Aspartic Acid
- Cysteine
- Glutamic Acid
- Glutamine
- Glycine
- Histidine
- Isoleucine
- Leucine