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Concept 17.4 Lecture outline
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Concept 17.4 Lecture outline

Concept 17.4
Translation is the RNA-directed synthesis of a polypeptide:
a closer look
·
In
the process of translation, a cell translates a genetic message to build a
polypeptide.
The tRNA molecule is a
translator.
·
The
interpreter is transfer RNA (tRNA), which
transfers amino acids from the cytoplasmic pool to a growing polypeptide in a
ribosome.
○ A cell has all 20 amino acids available
in its cytoplasm, either by synthesizing them from scratch or by taking them up
from the
surrounding solution.
·
Each
type of tRNA molecule translates a particular mRNA codon into a particular
amino acid. Each tRNA molecule bears a specific
amino
acid at one end. At the other end of the tRNA is a
nucleotide triplet called an anfile:///Users/reem.albitar/Desktop/Screen%20Shot%202015-05-12%20at%2012.20.05%20PM.pngticodon, which base-pairs with a complementary
codon on mRNA. { fig. 17.15 The structure of transfer RNA (tRNA)}.
·
Codon
by codon, the genetic message is translated as tRNAs deposit amino acids in the
order prescribed, and the ribosome joins the amino acids into a chain. tRNA is a translator because it reads a
nucleic acid word (the mRNA codon) and interprets it as a protein word (the
amino acid).
·
Like
other types of RNA, tRNA molecules are transcribed from DNA templates.
·
In
both bacterial and eukaryotic cells, each tRNA is used repeatedly, picking up
its designated amino acid in the cytosol, depositing the amino acid at the
ribosome, and returning to the cytosol to pick up another copy of that amino
acid.
·
A
tRNA molecule consists of a single strand of about 80 nucleotides folded back on
itself to form a three-dimensional structure. tRNA includes a loop containing the
anticodon and an attachment site at the 3¢ end for an amino acid.
·
Each
amino acid is joined to the correct tRNA by aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase.
○ The 20 different synthetases match the 20
different amino acids.
○ Each has active sites for only a specific
tRNA–amino acid
combination.
·
The
synthetase catalyzes a covalent bond between them in a process driven by ATP
hydrolysis.
○ The result is an aminoacyl-tRNA or
charged amino acid.
·
The
second recognition process involves a correct match between the tRNA anticodon
and an mRNA codon.
·
If
each anticodon had to be a perfect match to each codon, we would expect to find
61 types of tRNA, but the actual number is about 45, because the anticodons of
some tRNAs recognize more than one codon.
·
Such
versatility is possible because the rules for base pairing between the third
base of the codon and the anticodon are relaxed. This flexible base pairing is called
wobble.
○ Wobble explains why the synonymous codons
for a given amino acid most often differ in their third base, not in their
other bases.
The
ribosome is the site of translation.
·
Ribosomes
facilitate the specific coupling of the tRNA anticodons with mRNA codons during
protein synthesis.
A ribosome consists of a large and a
small subunit, each made up of proteins and ribosomal RNA (rRNA).
·
In
eukaryotes, the subunits are made in the nucleolus. rRNA genes are transcribed and the RNA is
processed and assembled with proteins imported from the cytoplasm. The subunits are exported via nuclear
pores to the cytoplasm.
·
In
both bacteria and eukaryotic cells, large and small subunits join to form a
functional ribosome only when they attach to an mRNA molecule.
○ Because most cells contain thousands of
ribosomes, rRNA is the most abundant type of cellular RNA.
·
Though
similar in structure and function, bacterial and eukaryotic ribosomes have
enough differences that certain antibiotic drugs (like tetracycline and
streptomycin) can inactivate bacterial ribosomes without inhibiting eukaryotic
ribosomes.
·
Each
ribosome has a binding site for mRNA and three binding sites for tRNA
molecules.
○ The P
site (peptidyl tRNA-binding
site) holds the tRNA carrying the growing polypeptide chain.
○ The A
site (aminoacyl tRNA-binding
site) holds the tRNA carrying the next amino acid to be added to the chain.
○ Discharged tRNAs leave the ribosome at
the E (exit) site.
·
The
ribosome holds the tRNA and mRNA in close proximity and positions the new amino
acid for addition to the carboxyl end of the growing polypeptide.
○ It then catalyzes the formation of the
peptide bond.
·
As
the polypeptide becomes longer, it passes through an exit tunnel in the ribosome’s large unit and is released to the
cytosol through the exit tunnel.
·
Evidence
supports the hypothesis that rRNA, not protein, is responsible for the
ribosome’s structure and function.
○ Proteins on the exterior support the
shape changes of the rRNA molecules as they carry out catalysis during
translation.
○ rRNA is the main constituent at the
interface between the two subunits and of the A and P sites, and it is the
catalyst for peptide bond formation.
○ A ribosome can be regarded as one colossal
ribozyme.
The
process of translation builds a polypeptide.
·
Translation
can be divided into three stages: initiation, elongation, and termination.
○ All three phases require protein
“factors” that aid in the translation process.
○ Both initiation and chain elongation
require energy provided by the hydrolysis of GTP.
·
Initiation brings together mRNA, a tRNA with the
first amino acid, and the two ribosomal subunits.
·
First,
a small ribosomal subunit binds with mRNA and a special initiator tRNA, which
carries methionine.
○ In bacteria, the binding occurs at a
specific RNA sequence, just upstream of the start codon, AUG.
○ In eukaryotes, the small subunit, with
the initiator tRNA already bound, binds to the 5¢ cap of the mRNA and then moves, or scans, downstream along the mRNA until it reaches the start codon
AUG, which signals the start of translation.
○ This establishes the codon reading frame
for the mRNA.
·
The
union of mRNA, initiator tRNA, and a small ribosomal subunit is followed by the
attachment of a large ribosomal subunit, forming the translation initiation complex.
○ Proteins called initiation factors bring all these components together.
○ Energy in the form of a GTP molecule is
invested in the formation of the initiation complex.
·
In
the elongation stage of translation,
amino acids are added one by one to the previous amino acid at the C-terminus
of the growing chain.
○ Each addition involves the participation
of protein elongation factors and
occurs in three-step cycles as each amino acid is added to the preceding one.
·
Energy
expenditure occurs in the first and third steps.
○ Codon recognition requires hydrolysis of
one molecule of GTP, which increases the accuracy and efficiency of this step.
○ One more GTP is hydrolyzed to provide
energy for the translocation step.
·
The
mRNA is moved through the ribosome in one direction only, 5¢ end first; this is equivalent to the
ribosome moving 5¢ ® 3¢ on the mRNA.
○ The ribosome and the mRNA move relative
to each other, unidirectionally, codon by codon.
·
The
elongation cycle takes less than a tenth of a second in bacteria and is
repeated as each amino acid is added to the chain until the polypeptide is
completed.
o
The
empty tRNAs that are released from the E site return to he cytoplasm, where
they will be reloaded with the appropriate amino acid.
·
Termination occurs when one of the three stop codons
reaches the A site of the ribosome.
○ A release
factor binds to the stop codon and causes hydrolysis of the bond between
the polypeptide and its tRNA in the P site.
○ This frees the polypeptide, which is
released through the exit tunnel of the ribosome’s large subunit.
·
The
translation complex disassembles.
○ Breakdown of the translation assembly
requires the hydrolysis of two more GTP molecules.
·
A
ribosome requires less than a minute to translate an average-sized mRNA into a
polypeptide.
·
A
single mRNA may be used to make many copies of a polypeptide simultaneously as
multiple ribosomes, polyribosomes or
polysomes, trail along the same
mRNA.
○ Polyribosomes can be found in bacterial
and eukaryotic cells.
Folding
and modification of a protein follows translation.
·
During
and after synthesis, a polypeptide spontaneously coils and folds to its
three-dimensional shape.
○ The primary structure, the order of amino
acids, determines the secondary and tertiary structure.
·
A
chaperone protein (chaperonin) helps the polypeptide fold correctly.
·
In
addition, proteins may require post-translational
modifications before doing their particular job.
·
These
modifications may require additions such as sugars, lipids, or phosphate groups
to amino acids.
○ Enzymes may remove one or more amino
acids from the leading (amino) end of the polypeptide chain.
·
In
some cases, a single polypeptide chain may be enzymatically cleaved into two or
more pieces.
○ In other cases, two or more polypeptides
may join to form a protein with quaternary structure.
Signal peptides target
some eukaryotic polypeptides to specific destinations in the cell.
·
Two
populations of ribosomes, free and bound, are active participants in protein
synthesis.
○ Free ribosomes are suspended in the
cytosol and synthesize proteins that reside and function in the cytosol.
○ Bound ribosomes are attached to the
cytosolic side of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or to the nuclear envelope.
○ Bound ribosomes make proteins of the
endomembrane system as well as proteins secreted from the cell.
·
Although
bound and free ribosomes are identical in structure, their location depends on
the type of protein they are synthesizing.
·
Translation
in all ribosomes begins in the cytosol, but a polypeptide destined for the
endomembrane system or for export has a specific signal peptide region at or near the leading end.
○ The signal peptide consists of a sequence
of about 20 amino acids.
·
A signal recognition particle (SRP) binds
to the signal peptide and attaches it and its ribosome to a receptor protein in
the ER membrane.
○ The SRP, which consists of a protein–RNA
complex, functions as an escort to bring the ribosome to a receptor protein
built into the ER membrane.
○ The receptor is part of a multiprotein
translocation complex.
·
Protein
synthesis resumes, with the growing polypeptide snaking across the membrane
into the ER lumen via a protein pore.
○ An enzyme usually cleaves the signal
polypeptide.
·
Secretory
proteins are released into solution within the ER lumen, but membrane proteins
remain partially embedded in the ER membrane.
·
Other
kinds of signal peptides are used to target polypeptides to mitochondria,
chloroplasts, the nucleus, and other organelles that are not part of the
endomembrane system.
○ In these cases, translation is completed
in the cytosol before the polypeptide is imported into the organelle.
○ While the mechanisms of translocation
vary, each of these polypeptides has a “zip code” that ensures its delivery to
the correct cellular location.
·
Bacteria
also employ signal sequences to target proteins to the plasma membrane for secretion.
·
Although
bacteria and eukaryotes carry out transcription and translation in similar
ways, they differ in cellular machinery and in the details of the processes.
·
Bacterial
and eukaryotic RNA polymerases differ significantly from each other.
·
Transcription
is terminated differently in bacteria and eukaryotes.
·
Bacterial
and eukaryotic ribosomes differ slightly.
·
Initiation
of translation is slightly different in bacteria and eukaryotes.
·
Gene
expression in eukaryotes differs from that of bacteria because of the greater
compartmental organization of the eukaryotic cell.
○ In the absence of a nucleus, a bacterial
cell can simultaneously transcribe and translate the same gene and the new
protein quickly diffuses to its operating site.
·
In
eukaryotes, the nuclear envelope segregates transcription from translation and
provides a compartment for extensive RNA processing between these processes.
○ This provides additional steps whose
regulation helps coordinate the elaborate activities of a eukaryotic cell.
Información
- Descripción
- Describe the stages of protein synthesis
- Creado por
- Reema Al Biatr · may 2015
- Actualizado
- 8 dic 2016
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