Genetic Information

• Central Dogma
• Genetic codes
 Lecture outline

• How the genetic information of

living creatures is:
– Written in an alphabet with just 4
letters, the four base pairs in DNA
– Expressed during the growth and
development of an organism
• RNA/DNA? Plays a key role in the
process of gene expression
 OBJECTIVES

• To understand the central dogma

theory
• To understand the transcription
and the translation process
3. To know what is the genetic
code
 No. Matrik:
Program:
Quiz
1. What is central dogma?
_______________________________
2. What are the processes involve?
_________; ___________
3. What are the criteria of genetic code?
_________, ______________, __________
_________
The Central Dogma Theory
• 1. Transcription of DNA to RNA to
protein: This dogma forms the
backbone of molecular biology and is
represented by four major stages.
• 2. The DNA replicates its information
in a process that involves many
enzymes: replication.
• 3. The DNA codes for the production
of messenger RNA (mRNA) during
transcription.
• 4. In eucaryotic cells, the mRNA is
processed (essentially by splicing)
and migrates from the nucleus to the
cytoplasm.
• 5. Messenger RNA (mRNA) carries
coded information to ribosomes. The
Genetic information flows;
2. From DNA to DNA during its
transmission from generation to
generation (genotypic function)
3. From DNA to protein during its
phenotypic expression and involves 2
steps;
transcription: transfer of genetic
information from DNA to RNA
translation: transfer of information
from RNA to protein
 Central dogma

-Transferring the genetic information from DNA to

RNA or RNA synthesized: transcription
central dogma:

DNA RNA Protein

Transcription Translation
- Transfer of genetic info from DNA to RNA is
sometimes reversible whereas RNA to protein is
always irreversible
 4 types of RNA

tRNA (transfer RNA)

-tRNA is the information adapter molecule.
It is the direct interface between amino-
acid sequence of a protein and the
information in DNA.
•mRNA
-Messenger RNA is a copy of the
information carried by a gene on the DNA.
The role of mRNA is to move the
information contained in DNA to the
translation machinery.
•rRNA -Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) is a
component of the ribosomes, the protein
synthetic factories in the cell. Eukaryotic
ribosomes contain four different rRNA
molecules: 18 s, 5.8 s, 28 s, and 5 s rRNA.

•snRNA -Small nuclear RNA (snRNA) is the

name used to refer to a number of small
RNA molecules found in the nucleus.
Transcription Unit : area consists of promoter (the identification
area of RNA Polymerase enzyme) until the termination area

RNA Pol

3’ 5’
5’ 3’

Promoter RNA

Initiation site Termination area

Figure 1: Transcription Unit consists of DNA sequences from
promoter area until termination area
 3 stages of Transcription

i) Initiation: - the promoter functions as a recognition site

for transcription factors – enables RNA Polymerase to bind
to the promoter – the DNA denatured into two strands
(open complex). One of the helix strands functional as a
template for RNA synthesis.
ii) Elongation: -synthesis of RNA transcript by RNA
Polymerase in a 5’- 3’ direction same in DNA synthesis
iii) Termination: a termination signal is reached that
causes RNA Polymerase and the RNA transcript to
dissociate from DNA.
In E. coli (prokaryotes) - RNA synthesized by
RNA polymerase.

In mammals (eukaryotes) - 3 types of polymerases :

RNA Pol I, RNA Pol II and RNA Pol III

In E coli, RNA polymerase is a big and complex
molecule. It consists of 6 subunit and called as
Holoenzyme : α2, β, β’,ω,σ

-- σ - recognizes regions of the promoter and released

from the enzyme after the RNA synthesized

--β – bind at the precursor

--β’- bind at the template DNA

Figure 3: RNA polymerase activated by the sigma factor to recognize
promoter sequence
 RNA Polymerase
(Holoenzyme)
Termination sequence
Faktor σ
Promoter
DNA
5’ 3’
3’ 5’
(i) Initiation Enzim released
mRNA (ii) Elongation
mRNA 5’

(iii) Termination σ released

mRNA

Figure 2:Transcription cycle for RNA polymerase in E.coli

Figure 4: RNA synthesized (mRNA)
 RNA Modification
-For prokaryote - analysis bacterial genes showed that the
sequence of DNA within the coding strand corresponds to
the sequence of nucleotides in the mRNA
-providing the instructions for the correct amino acid
sequence in polypeptide.

For eukaryote – their structural genes are note always

colinear with mRNA.
-Coding sequences within many eukaryotic genes are
separated by DNA sequences that are not translated into
protein.
-The sequences in the RNA that correspond to the introns are
removed.
-The RNA derived from the exons are connected (spliced).
The coding sequences are called exons
The sequences that interrupt them called intervening
sequences or introns
Figure 5 : Excision of Intron from mRNA
 TRANSLATION

Transferring the genetic information from RNA

into a polypeptide sequence (protein) or protein
synthesized

DNA Transcription Translation

-Cistron : A length of DNA that contains the

information for coding a specific polypeptide chain. A
cistron codes for messenger RNA. It have sequence
for initiation and termination

-Translation occur at ribosome in cytoplasm

 3 stages of Translation

1. Initiation – involves the binding of mRNA and the initiator

tRNA to the ribosomal subunits

2. Elongation – polypeptide synthesized

3. Termination – occurs when a stop codon is reached in

the mRNA
1. Initiation : mRNA and the first tRNA bind to the ribosomal
subunits to form a complex. In bacteria, the initiator tRNA
(fmet-tRNA), carries a methionine . The start codon is AUG.

Initiation stage of protein synthesized in prokaryote

The formation of complex and showing the A and P site
2. -Elongation: a short polypeptide is attached to the tRNA
located at the P site of the ribosome. A new tRNA carrying
a single amino acid binds to the A site. This binding occurs
because the anticodon in tRNA is complementary to the
codon in the mRNA.
3. -Termination: Occurs when a stop codon is reached in

the mRNA. In most species, the three stop codons

(nonsense codon) are UAG, UGA & UAA
 Genetic Code
Properties of the genetic code:
2. Composed of nucleotide triplets
3. Non-overlapping
4. Comma-free
5. Degenerate
6. Ordered
7. Contains start and stop codons
8. Nearly universal
There are 64 different codon
- 61 of these have code a specific amino acid.
- 3 codons are stop codon (nonsense codon-
UAG,UGA,UAA)
INFORMATION PROCESSING  &
 CENTRAL DOGMA
 
     - the letters of the genetic alphabet... are
the nucleotides A, T, G, & C of DNA
     - unit of information is CODON   =  
genetic 'word'
     - a triplet sequence of nucleotides   CAT 
in a polynucleotide
     - 3 nucleotides  =  1 codon (word)  =  1
amino acid
     - the definition of (codon) word = amino
acid
   
GENE Expression 
     
Central Dogma of Molecular Biology depicts flow of
genetic information
      Transcription - copying of DNA sequence into RNA
      Translation     - copying of RNA sequence into
protein
  
DNA sequence ------->RNA sequence -----> a. acid
sequence
     TAC                                   AUG                              
MET
triplet sequence in DNA -->  codon in mRNA     ----
>   amino acid in protein
Information : triplet sequence in DNA is the genetic
word [codon]
KEY QUESTIONS
HOW IS GENETIC INFORMATION STORED
IN DNA TRANSFERRED TO RNA AND
PROTEIN?
HOW DO RNA MOLECULES TRANSPORT
GENETIC INFORMATION FROM DNA IN
THE NUCLEUS TO THE SITES OF PROTEIN
SYNTHESIS IN THE CYTOPLASMA?
WHAT ARE THE IMPORTANT STEPS IN RNA
SYNTHESIS IN PROKARYOTES?
 QUIZ
• Part of a DNA strand to be transcribed has
the following sequence:
3’-TACTAACTTACGCTCGCCTCA-5’

c) What is the sequence of RNA transcribed

from this part of the strand?
d) What sequence of amino acids does the RNA
produce?