Genes & Proteins (Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE Biology)

DNA Base Sequence To Amino Acid Sequence: Extended

The DNA Base Sequence Determines the Amino Acid Sequence in Protein

• The DNA code (a series of bases) is converted into proteins (a series of amino acids)

• The process of protein synthesis has two stages

  • Transcription (rewriting the base code of DNA into bases of RNA)

  • Translation (using RNA base sequence to build amino acids into sequence in a protein)

• Therefore, the sequence of bases in a gene determines the sequence of amino acids that make a specific protein

• Different sequences of amino acids give different shapes and functions to protein molecules