Erika Lin

Period 1
DNA/Protein Synthesis Study Guide
Answer the following questions:
1. What is meant by the genetic code being described as degenerate?
If a genetic code is degenerate it means that it is redundant and
that there are several codons for the same amino acid.
2. Describe the structure of a DNA nucleotide.
The structure of a DNA is a double helix and double stranded.
DNA has a deoxyribose sugar made up of a long chain of a nitrogencontaining base.
3. State the names of the four bases in DNA.
The four bases in DNA are thymine, adenine, cytosine, and
guanine.
4. Describe how nucleotides are linked together by covalent bonds into a
single strand.
A covalent bond forms between the sugar of one nucleotide and
the phosphate group of another nucleotide.
5. Explain how a DNA double helix is formed using complementary base
paring and hydrogen bonds.
DNA is made up of two nucleotide strands. The nucleotides are
connected together by covalent bonds within each strand. The sugar of
one nucleotide forms a covalent bond with the phosphate group of
another. The two strands themselves are connected by hydrogen
bonds. The hydrogen bonds are found between the bases of the two
strands of nucleotides. Adenine forms hydrogen bonds with thymine
whereas guanine forms hydrogen bonds with cytosine. This is called
complementary base pairing. Below is a diagram showing the
molecular structure and bonds within DNA.
6. Draw and label a diagram of the molecular structure of DNA.

7. Explain DNA replication in terms of unwinding the double helix and

separation of the strands by helicase, followed by formation of the new
complementary strands by DNA polymerase.
DNA replication occurs when proteins carry out the process of
replication. The DNA serves as a template and replicates before the
cell divides. Enzymes do the work of replication. The helicase unwinds
and unzips the double helix. Free-floating nucleotides form hydrogen

Erika Lin
Period 1
bonds with the template strand. DNA polymerase enzymes bond the
nucleotides together to form the new daughter strand.
8. Explain the significance of complementary base paring in the
conservation of the base sequence of DNA.
The significance of complementary base pairing is that the
resulting strands will be identical to the original DNA molecule
and will have the same strand when the cell divides.
9. What is meant when DNA replication is described as semiconservative?
When a new DNA molecule is formed, one strand is the original
and the other is the replicated version.
10.Compare the structure of RNA and DNA.
RNA contains ribose as a sugar whereas DNA contains
Deoxyribose. Also, instead of thymine, RNA has uracil. RNA is a singlestranded structure and DNA is double-stranded structure.
11.Outline DNA transcription in terms of the formation of an RNA strand
complementary to the DNA strand by RNA polymerase.
Transcription takes place in the nucleus and copies DNA to make
a strand of mRNA. The transcription is then catalyzed by RNA
polymerase. The Nucleotides pair with one strand of the DNA. The RNA
polymerase bonds the nucleotides together. The DNA helix winds again
as the gene is transcribed.
12.Describe the genetic code in terms of codons composed of triplets of
bases.
Amino acids are coded by mRNA base sequences. Translation
converts mRNA messages into polypeptides
13.Explain the process of translation leading to polypepetide formation.
Amino acids are put in a specific order to form a protein the
order of the amino acid is determined by the order of the codons.
Regardless of the organism, codons code for the same amino acid.
Then, a special initiator tRNA attaches to the start codon and a large
subunit closes over the tRNA. The complementary base pairings of the
anticodon is then positioned. Ribosome links amino acids together by
peptide bonds and translation stops/terminates when it reaches a stop
codon.
14.Discuss the relationship between one gene and one polypepetide.
The genetic code is the sequence of nucleotides in
DNA which is ultimately translated into the sequence of amino acids in
proteins, called gene expression. In general, one gene encodes
information for one protein, leading to the one-gene, one-protein
hypothesis. There, of course, are exceptions, and not all proteins are
made of one polypeptide.