Protein Synthesis Lab

Information goes from DNA to RNA to proteins. The first step is transcription. The first step of transcription is that an enzyme copies a gene. This copy of the gene is called messenger RNA. Next, the mRNA leaves the nucleus and goes to the cytoplasm. Translation is the next step to making a protein. The copy of the gene bonds with a ribosome. Like a factory, the ribosome reads the bases of the mRNA three at a time and finds the corresponding amino acid for that specific sequence. The amino acids bond together until the mRNA is done translating. Then, the amino acids fold up to become a protein when the translation is complete.

http://tinyurl.com/hgcg5bq

It is very important where the mutation occurs in a DNA molecule. If the mutation is early in the code, then the entire code is effected by the mutation. In contrast, if the mutation is at the end of the code, it will not effect much of the code. Because of this, mutations that occur earlier in the code are much more dangerous. The most dangerous and harmful type of mutations are frameshift mutations, specifically insertions and deletions. These mutations are so dangerous because they effect everything from after the mutation, all the way to the end of the sequence. This completely changes the gene. The mutation that does the least amount of damage is a substitution. This only affects one codon instead of the entire code. Because of this, they are not usually very harmful.

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I chose a deletion because it would cause the most change. None of the amino acids were the same as the original. In addition, the gene with the mutation had nine amino acids while the original one had ten amino acids. Like I explained earlier, the earlier in the sequence the mutation occurs, the more change is going to occur. Because of this, I deleted some of the bases near the beginning of the sequence and because of this, none of the amino acids were the same at the end.

http://tinyurl.com/jhkzklk

Mutations can severely affect our life. Mutations can also be harmless. It depends on the severity of the mutation. Small substitutions will usually not cause much harm while deletions and insertions can cause lots of harm. An example of a genetic disorder is galactosemia. Galactosemia is a disorder that affects the body's ability to break down galactose. Most people with galactosemia are missing GALT, an enzyme that aids in breaking down galactose. A deficiency of galactose can cause some serious problems such as kidney failure and an enlarged liver.

http://tinyurl.com/zvog4bv