DNA Replication & Protein Synthesis Simulator Community
Questions, answers and tips from people who use the DNA Replication & Protein Synthesis Simulator. Step through DNA replication, transcription and translation of a short gene using real base-pairing and a genetic code table, then introduce a mutation and classify its effect..
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This page shows only real posts from real people, so it starts empty. The guide below has the questions people most often have about the DNA Replication & Protein Synthesis Simulator. Pick one to start a thread, or write your own.
From the tool guide: common questions about DNA Replication & Protein Synthesis Simulator
The items below are not posts by community members. They come from the written guide for this tool and are here to get a conversation started. Use “Ask a follow-up” to open a thread about any of them.
Why is DNA replication called semiconservative?
Each of the two resulting DNA molecules contains one strand from the original molecule and one newly synthesized strand.
From the tool guide Ask a follow-upWhy don't all mutations change the protein?
The genetic code is redundant - several different codons can code for the same amino acid, so some base changes are silent.
From the tool guide Ask a follow-upKey ideas
- DNA replication is semiconservative: each new DNA molecule keeps one original strand and one newly built strand.
- Transcription copies a DNA template strand into mRNA, pairing A with U instead of A with T.
- Translation reads mRNA three bases (one codon) at a time and matches each codon to an amino acid using the genetic code, until a stop codon is reached.
- A point mutation can be silent (same amino acid), missense (different amino acid) or nonsense (creates an early stop codon).
Things to try
- Step through replication, transcription and translation in order.
- Mutate the third base of a codon and see how often it is silent.
- Mutate a base to create an early stop codon and watch the protein get cut short.
- Predict whether your chosen mutation will be silent, missense or nonsense, then check.
Where this is used
Genetic counselors and cancer researchers classify real mutations this same way - silent, missense or nonsense - to judge how serious a DNA change is likely to be.
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