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Ch. 16 - How Genes Work
Freeman - Biological Science 7th Edition
Freeman7th EditionBiological ScienceISBN: 9783584863285Not the one you use?Change textbook
Chapter 16, Problem 10

Controlling the rates of transcription and translation is important in bacteria to avoid collisions between ribosomes and RNA polymerases. Calculate what the maximum rate of translation by a ribosome in a bacterial cell would have to be, in units of amino acids per second, so as not to overtake an RNA polymerase that is synthesizing mRNA at a rate of 60 nucleotides per second. How long would it take for this bacterial cell to translate an mRNA containing 1800 codons?

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1
Determine the number of nucleotides that correspond to one amino acid. Since each codon (which codes for one amino acid) consists of three nucleotides, divide the RNA polymerase rate by three to find the maximum rate of translation in terms of amino acids per second.
Calculate the maximum rate of translation by dividing the RNA polymerase rate (60 nucleotides per second) by the number of nucleotides per codon (3 nucleotides per codon).
To find the time required to translate an mRNA containing 1800 codons, use the formula: Time = Number of Codons / Rate of Translation.
Substitute the number of codons (1800) and the maximum rate of translation you calculated in step 2 into the formula from step 3.
The result from step 4 will give you the time in seconds it takes for the ribosome to translate the mRNA containing 1800 codons.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Transcription and Translation

Transcription is the process by which RNA polymerase synthesizes mRNA from a DNA template, while translation is the process where ribosomes synthesize proteins by decoding mRNA into amino acids. In bacteria, these processes can occur simultaneously, making it crucial to regulate their rates to prevent collisions that could disrupt protein synthesis.
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Review of Transcription vs. Translation

Codons and Amino Acids

A codon is a sequence of three nucleotides in mRNA that corresponds to a specific amino acid or a stop signal during protein synthesis. Since there are 64 possible codons and 20 amino acids, the genetic code is redundant, allowing for some flexibility in translation. Understanding the relationship between codons and amino acids is essential for calculating translation rates.
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Rate of Translation

The rate of translation refers to how quickly ribosomes can synthesize proteins, typically measured in amino acids per second. To avoid overtaking RNA polymerase, the translation rate must be less than or equal to the transcription rate, which in this case is 60 nucleotides per second. Given that each codon consists of three nucleotides, the maximum translation rate can be calculated accordingly.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Draw a hypothetical metabolic pathway in Neurospora crassa composed of five substrates, five enzymes, and a product called nirvana. Number the substrates 1–5, and label the enzymes A–E, in order. (For instance, enzyme A catalyzes the reaction between substrates 1 and 2.)

(b) Suppose a mutant strain can survive if substrate 5 is added to the growth medium, but it cannot grow if substrates 1, 2, 3, or 4 are added. Which enzyme in the pathway is affected in this mutant?

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Textbook Question

One of the possibilities considered about the genetic code was that the code was overlapping, meaning that a single base could be part of up to three codons. How many amino acids would be encoded in the sequence 5′-AUGUUACGGAAU-3′ by a non-overlapping and a maximally overlapping triplet code?

a. 4 (non-overlapping) and 16 (overlapping)

b. 4 and 12

c. 4 and 10

d. 12 and 4

1551
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Textbook Question
One of the possibilities considered about the genetic code was that the code was overlapping, meaning that a single base could be part of up to three codons. How many amino acids would be encoded in the sequence 5′-AUGUUACGGAAU-3′ by a non-overlapping and a maximally overlapping triplet code?a. 4 (non-overlapping) and 16 (overlapping)b. 4 and 12c. 4 and 10d. 12 and 4
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Textbook Question

Skin color is often one of the first traits people notice in each other. Studies in zebrafish uncovered a mutation that altered a transport protein and resulted in light-colored fish. This discovery led to the finding that the same gene in humans has a strong influence on skin pigmentation in many populations. The zebrafish mutation that reduced coloration created a null allele of the transport protein gene. Which of the following types of mutation would be most likely to create this null allele?

a. A missense mutation

b. A frameshift mutation

c. A neutral mutation

d. A silent mutation

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Textbook Question
Skin color is often one of the first traits people notice in each other. Studies in zebrafish uncovered a mutation that altered a transport protein and resulted in light-colored fish. This discovery led to the finding that the same gene in humans has a strong influence on skin pigmentation in many populations. The zebrafish mutation that reduced coloration created a null allele of the transport protein gene. Which of the following types of mutation would be most likely to create this null allele?a. a missense mutationb. a frameshift mutationc. a neutral mutationd. a silent mutation
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Textbook Question
Eating even a single death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides) can be fatal due to a compound called αα-amanitin, a toxin that inhibits transcription.What would you predict to be the immediate outcome of adding αα-amanitin to a cell?a. reduced DNA synthesisb. reduced production of one or more types of RNAc. reduced binding of tRNAs to anticodonsd. reduced rate of translocation of ribosomes translating mRNA
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