B3 - Protein Synthesis

DNA controls the production of proteins in a cell.

Protein synthesis is what we call the production of proteins.

A section of DNA that codes for a particular protein is called a gene.

So...

DNA controls protein synthesis, and the genes tell it what protein to make.

Proteins are made up of amino acids.

Amino acids are chains of molecules.

Each protein has its own number and order of amino acids, which gives the proteins a different shape, and a different function.

It is the order of bases that controls the order of amino acids in a protein, as each amino acid is coded for by a sequence of 3 bases in the gene.

Amino acids are joined together to make proteins.

These follow the order of the bases in the gene.

Each gene has a different sequence of bases, which is what makes it code for a unique protein.

See the next card for an example.

If the sequence of bases was...

T C G T G G

...then the cell would read the genetic code like this...

Bases on DNA      Amino acid   

  T C G                           ()

  T G G                          <>

...then the order of the amino acids in the protein would be...

() <> because the bases go T C G    T G G.