Translation

 

 

tRNA

-          amino acids not free in cell, carried by tRNAs

-          all are 70-80nt long

-          make intramolecular basepairs to form three stem-loops and a stem

-          all have a three nucleotide sequence in one stem-loop, that anticodon, that basepairs with mRNA during translation

o       codon 5’-3’, anticodon 3’-5’

-          all accept the amino acid on the acceptor stem, covalently linked to 3’ A (all have - CCA3’, this is added after transcription)

-          many modified bases in tRNAs, modified after txn

-          bacterial usually 30-40 different tRNAs

o       but 61 codons – this is a problem, some tRNAs must recognize more than one codon

 

Wobble

-          this is how one tRNA can recognize more than one codon

-          first two basepairs (5’ in codon, 3’ in anticodon) for standard basepairs

-          last one can be nonstandard

o       anticodon with G in 5’ position can basepair with codon with C or U in the 3’ position

§         any codons with NNPyr always encode same amino acid and can be recognized by an anticodon with G at 5’ end

-          inosine is frequently found at 5’ end of anticodon – can basepair with A,C,U

-          show Fig.8.22 for rules

 

Aminoacyl tRNA synthetases

-          there are 20 of these enzymes, link one amino acid to all compatible (cognate) tRNAs for that amino acid

-          amino acids ends up linked to 3’OH of terminal A in tRNA

-          the synthetases are vital, since ribosome only checks tRNA-mRNA basepairing and doesn’t care what amino acid tRNA is carrying

 

Ribosome

-          the enzyme that reads mRNA sequence, allows tRNAs to bind codons, and links the amino acids on the tRNAs together

-          ribosomes are composed of stable rRNAs and many proteins, assembled in a precise way

o       large and small subunits of the ribosome

§         large (50S and 60S) has two rRNAs and a number of proteins

§         small (30S and 40S) has one rRNA (16S) and a number of proteins

§         rRNAs are denoted in Svedberg units – this is how fast they sediment in centrifugation (23S and 5S in bacterial large, 16S in bacterial small)

§         large and small subunits and whole ribosome also in S units (bacterial is 50+30S = 70S, eukaryotic 60S+40S = 80S)

 

Translation

Ribosome “reads” open reading frame and makes protein

-          5’ UTR before start codon

-          3’ UTR after stop codon

 

 

Translation initiation

Bacterial

-          30S subunit binds initiator fMet-tRNAMeti

o       both prokaryotes and eukaryotes have a special initiator tRNA that accepts Met. 

o       in bacterial, Met is formylated (            attached to amino group)

-          30S + fMet-tRNA finds start codon

o       finds AUG because just upstream of this is a conserved sequence (Shine-Delgarno) that can basepair with the 16S rRNA

o       so can find all AUGs on a mRNA because all have Shine-Delgarno sequences by them

-          then 50S subunit joins

-          fMet-tRNAMeti ends up at tRNA binding site called P site

 

Eukaryotic

-          some similarities, some differences

-          40s subunit + tRNA Meti make a complex

-          this whole complex binds at the 5’ cap and seems to move along mRNA until it reaches the first AUG in a good consensus (Kozak) sequence (5’ACCAUGG3’)

o       will skip one in bad consensus

-          now 60S large subunit comes in

-          tRNA Meti ends up at P site

 

Elongation

1)      incoming tRNAs bind at A site

2)      large subunit rRNA catalyzes peptide bond formation between amino acids, severing covalent bond between tRNA at P site and amino acid

3)      translocation

o       tRNA at P site goes to E site

o       tRNA that was at A site goes to P site

o       new tRNA comes into A site

 

Termination

-          termination factors enter at A site

-          everything goes its separate way

o       large subunit

o       small subunit

o       mRNA

o       tRNAs

o       newly synthesized protein

 

Polysomes

-          many ribosomes can simultaneously translate a single mRNA

-          circular polysomes and recycling and translation efficiency

o       circular mRNA 5’ and 3’ ends held near each other by protein-protein interactions between proteins that bind cap and bind polyA tail

 

Processing after translation

-          Fig 8.26 shows

o       Removing initiator Met usually happens

o       Cleaving polyprotein rare

o       Modifying protein very common

 

Problems

21-26 and 28 are thought provoking to me……