If the next triplet is AAA, that brings in the amino acid lysine. If the first three-base codon is AUG, then a molecule of the amino acid methionine is brought into place. Each three-base triplet, called a codon, specifies a particular amino acid, except for a few with regulatory functions (e.g., UGA =“Stop!”). The ribosome reads the base sequence of the mRNA, three bases at a time. When an mRNA strand exits the nucleus and enters the cytoplasm, it attaches to ribosomes, and this is where protein synthesis progresses. However, here’s a basic video that shows how this works.Īlan McHughen, in his outstanding book, “ DNA Demystified: Unraveling the Double Helix,” describes how mRNA works: If you want to take a deep dive into the science of mRNA and mRNA vaccines, my friend Edward Nirenberg wrote two articles that will satisfy your desires – they make it clear how this all works and doesn’t work. Yes, that’s a lot of cell biology, though I took years of courses in cell biology, so trust me when I say I barely touched the surface. Each codon codes for a specific amino acid, except the stop codons, which terminate protein synthesis.Īt this point, note that the mRNA does nothing to the DNA strand in your genes – it merely reads the sequence.
Transcribe biology code#
These mRNA sequences “carry” that genetic message to a ribosome for translation, where tRNA triplets, which code for one amino acid, attach to the appropriate mRNA triplet, adding one amino acid to the protein chain.Īs in DNA, genetic information in mRNA is contained in the sequence of nucleotides, which are arranged into codons consisting of three ribonucleotides each. In other words, the mRNA sequences in the cell usually correspond directly to the DNA sequences in our genes. Normally, during the process called transcription, RNA polymerase makes a copy of a gene from its DNA to mRNA as signaled by the cell. The Pfizer and Moderna Therapeutics COVID-19 vaccines are mRNA vaccines that rely upon an mRNA, or messenger RNA, molecule to induce an immune response. I’ve written this several times with regards to both the Pfizer and Modern mRNA vaccines, but it bears repeating, because a lot of people may come to this article for the first time.
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