What is Your Function }

Remember how the ultimate goal of DNA is to make proteins?

Now, you are going to learn the specific process of making proteins.

“Why are proteins so important, anyway?”

Let’s review from the previous module all the functions of proteins:

Form structures
Make enzymes or other chemicals, which create the building blocks of organisms
Maintain homeostasis

The Two T's

It may be hard to imagine that something as small as DNA can carry the instructions for making a new living organism. The secret is in the DNA nitrogen bases. The order of the bases codes for specific traits for each living organism.

It’s easy to remember the two parts of Protein Synthesis. Just think of the “Two T’s”: Transcription and Translation.

Watch the video for an overview of protein synthesis:

Protein synthesis requires the use of DNA and all three forms of RNA to read the code and make the desired protein.

Learn about these two steps by clicking on each image below:

More About Transcription

Watch the presentation below to learn more about the transcription step.

More About Translation

Watch the presentation below to learn more about the translation step.

Protein Synthesis Challenge and Before You Go

Practice Time! Use the knowledge you learned from the lesson to complete the practice activities below.

Before You Go You Need To Know

The following key points are from the explore section of the lesson. You must know the following information before moving to the next lesson. This is just a summary of the key points.

What are proteins composed of?
- Amino acids
What is transcription?
- It is the process of mRNA copying the DNA code and carrying that copy to the ribosome.
What is translation?
- The process of translating the DNA message into amino acids.

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS