LG 6 Protein Synthesis Questions #1-9

1. Identify reasons why proteins are so important to the growth and development of cells.
 Proteins are important to the reproduction of cells because, they are the building blocks of life. The are essential to the body to repair and maintain itself. The basic structure of protein is a chain of amino acids.

2. Explain 2 possible consequences of defects in enzymes that catalyze the synthesis reaction of an essential protein.
Enzyme defects include diseases such as PKU (phenylketonuria) and galactosemia, an error in the handling (metabolism) of the sugar galactose.

3. Identify four categories of biological molecules that are encoded by genes.
Protein, DNA, rRNA, mRNA, tRNA

4. List the 3 basic structural differences between DNA and RNA
RNA has the sugar ribose, it is single stranded and has the base U instead of T

DNA has the sugar deoxyribose, it is double stranded and has the Base T not U

5. Describe the differences between transcription and translation
Transcription describes the process of mRNA being copied from DNA (the master copy)

Translation describes the process of the information represented in a mRNA sequence being "translated" from the language of nucleic acid (RNA) to the language of amino acids (proteins).

6. Explain what is meant by the statement that "the genetic code is highly redundant or degenerate"
The genetic code is redundant because it is copied in groups of three pairs, creating different amino acids, the body has a very repetitive and similar code so if a mistake or mutation is made, your final product still results as the same protein that was necessary.

7. Describe what is meant by a codon and identify the 3 messages that a codon can specify.
A codon is a sequence of three nucleotides which together form a unit of genetic code in a DNA or RNA molecule. The three messages are START codons, STOP codons, and amino acids.

8. Name and describe the three parts of a gene
The operon of a gene includes the promoter region regulator region, and operator region. 

9. In reference to DNA, define template strand and explain why the term doesn't necessarily refer to either of the entire strands in the double helix.
Because an entire strand of DNA is extremely long and only a small segment is necessary to transcribe it into RNA, the template strand only defines a small piece of DNA in the double helix.