Translation Modeling Activity

thingiverse

This activity was designed for standard, honors, or AP biology classes to model the process of translation. This activity picks up where Transcription leaves off. We will assume that RNA polymerase has already created the mRNA transcript and the mRNA has been processed (addition of the 5’ cap, polyA tail and removal of introns). The mRNA has moved into the cytoplasm of the cell. Translation is ready to occur. Translation is defined as the synthesis of a protein (polypeptide) using information encoded in an mRNA molecule. Three RNA molecules will be used to assemble the protein: Messenger RNA, Transfer RNA and Ribosomal RNA. Messenger RNA (mRNA) has the information for arranging the amino acids in the correct order to make a functional protein. Transfer RNA (tRNA) carries amino acids to the ribosome and Ribosomal RNA (rRNA) makes up the ribosome. The key to deciphering DNA is called a triplet code, in which the sequence of three adjacent DNA nitrogen bases codes for a specific amino acid. Translation of the mRNA occurs in groups of three nitrogenous bases called codons. The order in which the amino acids are put together depends on the sequence of bases in the mRNA. Proteins can consist of as few as 100 or as many as thousands of amino acids.