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Ribosome Translation Simulator
AP Biology · Unit 6 Gene Expression
Learning Objectives
mRNA:
Reads 5' to 3' in triplets called Codons
tRNA:
Brings specific amino acids, matches Anticodon to Codon
Ribosome:
A, P, and E sites coordinate peptide bond formation
Start/Stop:
AUG initiates, UAA/UAG/UGA terminates
Tags
Translation
Ribosome
Codon
tRNA
Protein
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mRNA Pre-Initiation
The mRNA strand is in the cytoplasm. The small ribosomal subunit binds and scans for the AUG start codon to begin translation.
Load Small Subunit
Growing Polypeptide Chain
Empty
Wobble Hypothesis
The 3rd base of a codon is more flexible in its base pairing with tRNA. Notice how multiple codons can code for the same amino acid (Redundancy).