How Cells Make Protein: Translation - Biology Worksheet (Page 8 of 8) in pdf

Protein Synthesis Rap

Look at what’s coming out of the nucleus

Now we’re ready for next step: elongation

Destined for a ribosome, a strand of mRNA

An amino acid carried by a new tRNA

It’s got the code, the information,

With an anticodon matching with the second codon

For the protein we’ll be making today

Binds at the site called “A”

The RNA message is organized

Then the ribosome carries out an enzymatic action.

Into codons, that’s a sequence of bases three

Binding these amino acids with a peptide bond

That spell out one and only one amino acid

So a dipeptide hangs on the “A” site tRNA

A genetic code that works universally

Watch translation move along!

A codon has its match in an anti-codon

Next the ribosome shifts exactly one codon over

Three bases on a tRNAs bottom side

In a move that we call “translocation”

tRNA, it’s job is to bring amino acids

So the “A” site’s empty, and the “P” site’s loaded

To ribosomes so proteins can be synthesized

And the first tRNA’s in the “E” location

CHORUS

“E” site tRNA makes its exit

mRNA, tRNA and ribosomes

And the next tRNA fills the site called “A”

plus amino acids make a protein making machine

And the ribosome catalyzes away

Read the codon, make a polypeptide

In your cells it happens every second, every day

That’s translation – cells synthesizing proteins

And watch that polypeptide, see it get longer

The small subunit of a ribosome binds

As each and codon gets translated

With that mRNA’s leading end

Ribosomal robots reading RNA instructions

And slides until it reaches start codon AUG

As proteins get created!

Indicating where translation begins

CHORUS

A ribosome has three binding sites

Where tRNAs can bind

Bridge

The “A” site’s first, “P”s next, then “E”

Protein synthesis!

And the E’s got an exit sign

Translation!

(repeat 4X)

The first tRNA in this translation process

Binds the start codon in binding site “P”

We started with initiation, which was followed

And that tRNA carries an amino acid

By part two of translation: elongation

That goes by the name of Methionine.

Now it’s time to finish synthesizing this protein,

With a finale called termination.

And now to finish this initiation

The ribosome needs to be made complete

When the ribosome gets to a stop codon

The large subunit binds the small subunit

There’s no tRNA anti-codon that matches

Now we’re ready for translation to proceed.

So “A” site’s bound by a release factor:

The polypeptide detaches

CHORUS

tRNAs at P & E sites float away

Ribosome breaks apart, no longer one

The polypeptide folds into functional protein

Translation is done!

CHORUS

Page 8 of 8

How Cells Make Protein: Translation - Biology Worksheet Page 8

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