NAME:______________________DATE:________________PERIOD:____
Modeling Translation
The center of the room is the nucleus. Inside the nucleus is the DNA.
You are the single-stranded messenger RNA that is created inside the
nucleus during transcription. You then leave the nucleus and find a
ribosome, just as mRNA does. The ribosome uses your codons to create
a protein during translation. You will then turn that protein into a
sentence.
Procedure:
1. You will be assigned a DNA sequence. Carefully copy the sequence
onto your worksheet. Be sure to write the number of the sequence
on your worksheet. Leave the DNA sequence in the nucleus.
2. While still in the center of the room, you will transcribe the DNA
code into a single-stranded messenger RNA molecule. Introns are
indicated by quotes (“). Write the mRNA sequence on your
worksheet.
3. You are now ready the leave the nucleus and find a ribosome. Use
the key at the ribosome to translate your mRNA sequence into
proteins. Write the protein sequence on your worksheet.
4. Return to your desk and use the attached key to turn the protein
sequence into a sentence.
5. Write the sentence on your worksheet.
6. Return to the nucleus for another DNA sequence until you have
made four protein sentences.
1
1. DNA sequence (#_______)
MRNA sequence:
Protein sequence:
Protein sentence:
2. DNA sequence (#_______)
MRNA sequence:
Protein sequence:
Protein sentence:
2
3. DNA sequence (#_______)
MRNA sequence:
Protein sequence:
Protein sentence:
4. DNA sequence (#_______)
MRNA sequence:
Protein sequence:
Protein sentence:
3