ALIEN GENES This table shows the amino acid sequences for the various alien genes and traits. Gene Letter A B C D E F G H I Amino Acid Sequence Val-pro-ileu Tryp-pro-ileu Tryp-val-val Ileu-ileu-ser Ser-ala Ser-ser Pro-ser-phe-gly Gln-ser-phe-gly Lys-phe Lys-leu Pro-ala-ala Pro-ala-asp Pro-ala-val Pro-ala-pro Gln-gln-asp Gln-gln-lys Gly-gly-ileu ala-gly-ileu Ileu-asp-ala Ser-asp-ala Resulting Characteristic Hairless Hairy Fat Skinny 4 legs 8 legs Long nose Short nose No antennae 4 antennae Blue skin Red skin Yellow skin Green skin 10 fingers 12 fingers tail No tail 4 eyes 8 eyes Biology mRNA CODON DATA Tables for Alien Gene Analysis Alien Number _______ Is your alien hairless or hairy? GENE DNA mRNA Amino Acids Trait A NAME__________________________ Alien Genus and species________________________ Is your alien fat or skinny? GENE DNA mRNA Amino Acids Trait B Does your alien have 4 legs or 8 legs? GENE C DNA mRNA Amino Acids Trait What size nose does your alien have? GENE D DNA mRNA Amino Acids Trait Does your alien have antennae or not? GENE E DNA mRNA Amino Acids Trait What color skin does your alien have? GENE F DNA mRNA Amino Acids Trait How many fingers does your alien have? GENE G DNA mRNA Amino Acids Trait Does your alien have a tail? GENE DNA mRNA Amino Acids Trait H Does your alien have 4 eyes or 8 eyes? GENE I DNA mRNA Amino Acids Trait Data/Drawing Using a blank piece of paper, sketch and color your alien, making sure to include all relevant (known) traits. Be sure to include your alien’s genus and species at the top of your drawing and data sheet. Place your name on your drawing. (NOTE: The genus name must be capitalized and the species name always starts with a lower case letter.) Analysis Answer the following questions on the back of your alien picture: 1. Give the tRNA sequences for Gene D. 2. How does a single change in a nitrogen base alter the formation of a resulting protein? 3. If you knew a particular amino acid sequence, could you figure out the DNA for that sequence? Why or why not? 4. What is the difference between transcription and translation?
