Table of contents

1. Introduction to Anatomy & Physiology5h 43m
2. Cell Chemistry & Cell Components12h 36m
3. Energy & Cell Processes10h 6m
4. Tissues & Histology10h 3m
5. Integumentary System2h 20m
6. Bones & Skeletal Tissue2h 16m
7. The Skeletal System2h 35m
8. Joints2h 17m
9. Muscle Tissue2h 33m
10. Muscles1h 11m
11. Nervous Tissue and Nervous System1h 35m
12. The Central Nervous System1h 6m
- Introduction to the Central Nervous System
  18m
- The Cerebrum
  48m
13. The Peripheral Nervous System1h 26m
14. The Autonomic Nervous System1h 38m
15. The Special Senses2h 41m
16. The Endocrine System2h 48m
17. The Blood3h 22m
18. The Heart3h 42m
19. The Blood Vessels3h 35m
20. The Lymphatic System3h 16m
21. The Immune System14h 37m
22. The Respiratory System3h 20m
23. The Digestive System2h 5m
24. Metabolism and Nutrition4h 0m
25. The Urinary System2h 39m
26. Fluid and Electrolyte Balance, Acid Base Balance37m
27. The Reproductive System2h 5m
28. Human Development1h 21m
29. Heredity3h 32m

3. Energy & Cell Processes

Introduction to Translation

Anatomy & Physiology

3. Energy & Cell Processes

Introduction to Translation

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Problem 10

Textbook Question

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?

Verified step by step guidance

Understand that each codon in mRNA consists of 3 nucleotides.

Calculate the rate of mRNA synthesis in terms of codons per second by dividing the rate of nucleotide synthesis (60 nucleotides/second) by 3.

Recognize that the rate of translation by a ribosome should not exceed the rate of mRNA synthesis in codons per second to avoid collisions.

To find the time required to translate an mRNA containing 1800 codons, divide the total number of codons (1800) by the maximum rate of translation in codons per second.

Express the time in seconds, which will give the duration needed for the ribosome to translate the entire mRNA.

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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 are tightly coordinated to ensure efficient protein synthesis and to prevent collisions between the transcription machinery and ribosomes.

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 1800 codons in the given mRNA, this means that the ribosome will need to translate 1800 amino acids to produce the complete protein encoded by that mRNA.

Rate of Translation

The rate of translation refers to how quickly a ribosome can synthesize a polypeptide chain, typically measured in amino acids per second. To avoid overtaking RNA polymerase, the ribosome's translation rate must be equal to or less than the rate of transcription, which is given as 60 nucleotides per second, translating to a maximum of 20 amino acids per second, since each codon consists of three nucleotides.