question and answer

LA#17: Central Dogma of Biology (DNA → RNA → Protein) – Transcription & Translation

DNA is often referred to as a genetic blueprint. In the same way that blueprints contain the instructions for construction of a building, the DNA found inside the nuclei of cells contains the instructions for assembling a living organism. The DNA blueprint carries its instructions in the form of genes. In most cases the genes direct the production of a polypeptide, from which other more complex proteins, such as enzymes or hormones, may be constructed. These polypeptides and other molecules run the organism’s metabolism and, in multicellular organisms, dictate what each cell’s job is. So, what is the language of these instructions and how are they read and decoded by the cellular organelles? This activity will focus on the decoding of genes in eukaryotes.

1. What molecule does DNA store the instructions for building?

2. Where is DNA located in a eukaryotic cell? Prokaryotic cell?

3. Where in the eukaryotic cell are proteins made?

4. How do you think the information stored in DNA gets to the ribosomes in the cytoplasm?

The flow of information in Eukaryotic Cells